Paths of Transformation

As a martial arts instructor, my students (and their families) give me a lot of reasons to be proud.  This past week, we had yet another example of why the community at TMAA is so wonderful.  On August 31st, there was an early morning fire at an apartment complex just blocks away from our school.  Fifteen families lost their homes and everything in them, including basic necessities such as food and clothing.  Our community rallied to their need, bring in food, clothing, furniture and toys.  We also had donations of  cash and gift cards.  By the time we got to our deadline last Friday, we had an impressive pile of stuff.  Additionally, we were met in the parking lot  by carloads of more donations from families and even their neighbors.  What an awesome Dojang we have!

Long before I became a teacher, I used to imagine what it would mean to be a black belt instructor and to have my own school. I dreamed of technical mastery like that of my own teachers. I also hoped to become wise. Our school was full of “philosophy,” stories and words of wisdom, so I assumed that these concepts would be part of my training. This was not the case. We trained our martial arts techniques with vigor and dedication and my technical ability improved accordingly. But the stories and words of wisdom remained only that. By the time I earned my first black belt, I had absorbed many philosophical concepts with little practical understanding of how to integrate the ideas into how I lived my life. continue reading…

For this posting, I conclude my series on the relationship between the Dojang Hun and the Three Relationships. continue reading…