As we travel deeper into technology, we move farther away from interpersonal relationships, communication and empathy. Parents find comfort in putting a phone or tablet in a child's hand instead of entertaining them themselves. This new age technology has created a population of people who are lacking in personal communication skills, manners, personal caring and creativity.
The martial arts provide a vehicle to supplement the tech movement by bringing back "old school" awareness and personal values. Self control, concentration in physical movement, personal etiquette and genuine caring for fellow students are some of the benefits of the art.
If the whole world practiced legitimate martial arts with a code of discipline and ethics, there would be no more violence, war or major conflict between countries. This, of course, is a dream, but one can visualize the mutual respect between people that would come if this were to happen. Martial artists would never perpetrate acts of terrorism, lawlessness, vandalism or domestic violence.
We cannot control the actions of the world, but we can control the actions of the students who practice our art. I am proud of the fact that our students are polite, disciplined people with good self control, concentration and the ability to protect themselves and others.
