Benecia Cheong - June 2008
When I started Taekwondo on 15 February 2006, I was really excited joining Taekwondo. When I graded to yellow belt I felt like I was getting closer to my goals. When I graded to blue belt, I had achieved another goal. When I reached red black, I felt more motivated to keep going because I was one step closer to getting my black belt. Today I am very excited and nervous to be here.
The utmost purpose of Taekwondo is to eliminate fighting by discouraging the strongest oppression of the weaker with a power that must be based on humanity, justice, morality, wisdom and faith, thus building a better and more peaceful world.
The philosophy and guidelines are
- Be willing to go where the going may be tough and to do the things that are worth doing even though they are difficult
- To be gentle to the weak and tough to the strong
- Be content with what you have in money and position but never in skills
- Always finish what you begin, be it large or small
- Be a willing teacher to anyone regardless of religion or race
- Teach attitude with action and skill rather than words
- Always be yourself even though your circumstances may change
The purpose of Taekwondo is not to learn how to hurt others. Some people look at martial arts and say, "I wish I knew martial arts, then I can beat other people in fights." This is not what martial arts are for, however. Once someone begins their study of martial arts they usually begin to understand and learn the real philosophy and ethics.