Continuing further with our look at ethics in martial arts, we are now tackling the next three tenets of Korean martial arts. Similar to the last posting, this will address these three tenets together because they are complimentary to one another. Namely, being a dedicated friend, being respectful of those senior to you, and being respectful of your teachers are useful concepts when going about life in the martial arts school, in day to day life, and within your profession. One may not always think about these issues, but doing so can make many situations in work and school life smoother and more fulfilling.
It may seem obvious that one should be a dedicated friend. Still, how is one to be a dedicated friend when that person is in the middle of making a decision you are personally opposed to? Dedication is a very easy thing when everyone is agreeing and happy, but it is much more difficult to do when there is a disagreement. While you may have opinions worthy of a second look, that does not mean that you will come to an agreement. Instead, we must try to take a larger view and accept our friend's decision in life - assuming it doesn't have any negative ethical implications. Being a dedicated friend means freedom from your own opinions in life. This freedom allows a person to be able to examine their own life objectively and to try to find a more central understanding of things. Without that, you are actually dedicated only to people that reflect your views - a kind of vanity.
The idea of being respectful of elders also seems like low hanging fruit and a bit of a cliche. Older people want to be respected and younger people often want the space to explore their lives without constant judgement. If people learn now to be a dedicated friend, then they are able to give others the space they need to explore their own interests and desires. From that, this understanding makes it possible for someone older to be able to share opinions and experience without expecting conformity. By being around longer, older people have the capacity to give greater context to things happening currently. All the energy of youth can then be spent doing something truly interesting rather than simply re-inventing the wheel. This keeps the mind of an older person young and also allows for re-examination and greater understanding. Giving a second look to the words of an elder helps keeps the brashness of youth in check without creating mere conformity. In this way, the entire community is improved by the simple idea of respecting an elder.
Respecting a teacher is much along the same lines as respecting an elder. For a long time, I wondered why this was listed separately from respecting elders. In thinking it over, I came to another understanding on this concept. A teacher has specifically dedicated their lives to instruction. While that does not make that person perfect, it does mean that they take instructing other people very seriously. If you have come to this person to learn, then it is important that you take the words of this person and at least give them a second look. Trust this person to try to help you understand what they understand. As odd as it sounds, acquiring knowledge is a form of imitation. You want to know how to do something that another person knows how to do, and so you imitate. Before passing judgement on what they are doing, be sure to learn thoroughly what is being taught. After you have learned it and have been able to replicate the same level of success, then you have become a person of some level of authority (i.e. capable of authoring in that subject). From there, your critique of the earlier work has merit and is actually useful. To critique in mid-learning is short-sighted and, ultimately, self-destructive. If the teacher is teaching something wrong, then explore it fully. In doing so, you will still learn a great deal. This doesn't mean to follow blindly; rather, be an active participant and explore things fully. Share what you find with your teacher and create a community where everyone grows and improves while supporting one another. Communities with these kinds of people always end up building things that are worthwhile.
These three tenets encourage the martial arts student to be a positive element in their community and in their learning. Being a dedicated friend encourages each person to have an appropriate relationship with their peers. Being respectful of elders creates a relationship where a person can learn from another person's experiences while still exploring their own life's course. Being respectful of a teacher allows for a student to get out of his or her own way and to explore what is being taught thoroughly without worry of mistake. Embodying these three ideas allows for the creation of community and civilized discourse without conformity or prejudice. This level of intellectual freedom and active exploration can be tumultuous, but lead to technical and personal innovation as well as the ability to realize one's potential in life.
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