Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit
Two more of the Tenets of Taekwondo. Courtesty, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit. In my opinion, teaching those five character traits are what we as Taekwondo instructors are committed to doing. The vehicle for teaching those life-lessons is simply the art and science of Taekwondo.
If you ask a student (or even a senior black belt) to describe the Tenets, and give an example of each, most don't have a problem with the other three. But these two -- Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit -- sometimes give them pause.
I've heard both of them described as a "can-do attitude", or a stick-to-it approach. Never give up. Never surrender. (Quick "Galaxy Quest" reference, for you movie nerds). But those explanations in and of themselves are both a bit vague and confusing. Because these two concepts are not the same, although they are similar.
Let me see if I can take a stab at clarifying. Perseverance is that character trait we exhibit when we are tired, when we are worn out, when we are beat down, when we have given everything we have, and the problem, the hurdle, the obstacle, the bad guy, whatever it is that's in front of us...is still there. Perseverance is that little thing on the inside of us that tells us, "get up, take a deep breath, learn from your previous efforts, and get back in there and try again." Whether it's to take a different approach, or just hit it again, but harder. It's that oomph that gets us off our tail-feathers and drives us to get back in the ring. Perseverance is the inner spark it takes to have us face our own self-doubt, and despite that self-doubt, to determine that we will keep going. It takes perseverance to kick the paddles one more set. It takes perseverance to get up at 5 AM to go jogging in the cold rain.
Quick aside...I'm not that guy. I'm not going to get up and run. More simply, I'm not going to run, at ANY hour of the day. That's one of the reasons I took up martial arts...so I don't HAVE to run. If you see me running? You all had best start running, too, because that means there is one REALLY BIG DOG or something, chasing me. And I haven't seen a dog that big yet. Hence...I don't run.
But in a nutshell, Perseverance is that spark inside of us that pushes us past our self-doubt, our self-limitations, and our willingness to accept defeat or failure.
Indomitable Spirit is a slightly different animal. I think I heard it explained once as having the concept that "no matter where, no matter what, no matter how many...I will be victorious." It's not bravado or hubris or cocky self-confidence. It's not diving into something foolish on a hope and a prayer. It's more along the lines of knowing, inside, that you simply cannot be beaten. It's not "wishing", it's "knowing".
Maybe think of it this way: Perseverance is what you have to defeat self-doubt. The doubt from within. That voice inside that tells you to quit, that you can't do it, that you'll never make it, so you might as well give up. Indomitable Spirit is what you have to defeat the doubts of others. Those external voices or influences that tell you you'll never measure up, you don't have what it takes, you can't possibly win.
So in a nutshell, Perseverance gets you past self-doubt, Indomitable Spirit gets you past external doubt.
Why is it so easy for us to believe the bad stuff? Seriously. Why do we listen to that voice inside us that says "you'll never make it, you might as well quit"? Or, why do we listen to those external voices that tell us "you're not good enough, you'll never make it"?
You know what Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit really are? They are active decisions to simply stop listening to the lies. The lies we tell ourselves, and the lies that others tell us. Why is it so easy for us to believe the lies, and so hard for us to push them aside and believe the truth? Excellent question, Lar.
Here's another question, along those same lines.
Remember the movie, "Gladiator"? It's a depiction of a story around the end of the reign of the Roman Emporer, Marcus Aurelius. Historians have pieced together what we now accept as historical fact from about half a dozen documents about Marcus Aurelius. Said documents were actually written starting about a hundred years after the death of Marcus Aurelius. Second-hand and third-hand accounts. Half a dozen or so documents. And we accept these as "historical fact".
There are over 200 documents written about the life, death, resurrection and ministry of Jesus Christ, second- and third-hand accounts, beginning approximately a century or so after his resurrection, yet many would have us brush those aside and say that to accept those as "historical fact" is foolishness and can only be a matter of "faith".
Back to Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit. What are these traits, if they are not "faith"? Faith in one's ability to get up again when I've been knocked down. Faith to power on through things when others try to convince me I'm not good enough or smart enough or strong enough or popular enough. Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit are choosing to NOT believe the lies, either internal or external. For me, that amounts to remember where lies come from.
John 8:44 -- "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Instead, I stand on the truth of the statement of the psalmist.
Psalm 139:14 -- "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
It's easy to believe the lies. The world throws them at us continually. You're not smart enough, you need this computer. You're not pretty enough, you need this cosmetic. You're not cool enough, you need this car. You're not healthy enough, you need this miracle weight-loss regimen. You're not stylish enough, so we're going to show you what you need to buy/wear today. Did you ever notice that advertising is all about making you unhappy with where you are, what you have, etc.? It's focused on making you feel dissatisfied. It seeks to rob you of your joy, in my opinion, and replace that joy with something external and artificial. You'll only be happy if you buy this product.
Well, I call BS. I claim Perseverance -- choosing not to believe the lies I tell myself. I claim Indomitable Spirit -- choosing not to believe the lies that the world and others try to get me to listen to.
My two cents worth today.
If you ask a student (or even a senior black belt) to describe the Tenets, and give an example of each, most don't have a problem with the other three. But these two -- Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit -- sometimes give them pause.
I've heard both of them described as a "can-do attitude", or a stick-to-it approach. Never give up. Never surrender. (Quick "Galaxy Quest" reference, for you movie nerds). But those explanations in and of themselves are both a bit vague and confusing. Because these two concepts are not the same, although they are similar.
Let me see if I can take a stab at clarifying. Perseverance is that character trait we exhibit when we are tired, when we are worn out, when we are beat down, when we have given everything we have, and the problem, the hurdle, the obstacle, the bad guy, whatever it is that's in front of us...is still there. Perseverance is that little thing on the inside of us that tells us, "get up, take a deep breath, learn from your previous efforts, and get back in there and try again." Whether it's to take a different approach, or just hit it again, but harder. It's that oomph that gets us off our tail-feathers and drives us to get back in the ring. Perseverance is the inner spark it takes to have us face our own self-doubt, and despite that self-doubt, to determine that we will keep going. It takes perseverance to kick the paddles one more set. It takes perseverance to get up at 5 AM to go jogging in the cold rain.
Quick aside...I'm not that guy. I'm not going to get up and run. More simply, I'm not going to run, at ANY hour of the day. That's one of the reasons I took up martial arts...so I don't HAVE to run. If you see me running? You all had best start running, too, because that means there is one REALLY BIG DOG or something, chasing me. And I haven't seen a dog that big yet. Hence...I don't run.
But in a nutshell, Perseverance is that spark inside of us that pushes us past our self-doubt, our self-limitations, and our willingness to accept defeat or failure.
Indomitable Spirit is a slightly different animal. I think I heard it explained once as having the concept that "no matter where, no matter what, no matter how many...I will be victorious." It's not bravado or hubris or cocky self-confidence. It's not diving into something foolish on a hope and a prayer. It's more along the lines of knowing, inside, that you simply cannot be beaten. It's not "wishing", it's "knowing".
Maybe think of it this way: Perseverance is what you have to defeat self-doubt. The doubt from within. That voice inside that tells you to quit, that you can't do it, that you'll never make it, so you might as well give up. Indomitable Spirit is what you have to defeat the doubts of others. Those external voices or influences that tell you you'll never measure up, you don't have what it takes, you can't possibly win.
So in a nutshell, Perseverance gets you past self-doubt, Indomitable Spirit gets you past external doubt.
Why is it so easy for us to believe the bad stuff? Seriously. Why do we listen to that voice inside us that says "you'll never make it, you might as well quit"? Or, why do we listen to those external voices that tell us "you're not good enough, you'll never make it"?
You know what Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit really are? They are active decisions to simply stop listening to the lies. The lies we tell ourselves, and the lies that others tell us. Why is it so easy for us to believe the lies, and so hard for us to push them aside and believe the truth? Excellent question, Lar.
Here's another question, along those same lines.
Remember the movie, "Gladiator"? It's a depiction of a story around the end of the reign of the Roman Emporer, Marcus Aurelius. Historians have pieced together what we now accept as historical fact from about half a dozen documents about Marcus Aurelius. Said documents were actually written starting about a hundred years after the death of Marcus Aurelius. Second-hand and third-hand accounts. Half a dozen or so documents. And we accept these as "historical fact".
There are over 200 documents written about the life, death, resurrection and ministry of Jesus Christ, second- and third-hand accounts, beginning approximately a century or so after his resurrection, yet many would have us brush those aside and say that to accept those as "historical fact" is foolishness and can only be a matter of "faith".
Back to Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit. What are these traits, if they are not "faith"? Faith in one's ability to get up again when I've been knocked down. Faith to power on through things when others try to convince me I'm not good enough or smart enough or strong enough or popular enough. Perseverance and Indomitable Spirit are choosing to NOT believe the lies, either internal or external. For me, that amounts to remember where lies come from.
John 8:44 -- "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Instead, I stand on the truth of the statement of the psalmist.
Psalm 139:14 -- "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
It's easy to believe the lies. The world throws them at us continually. You're not smart enough, you need this computer. You're not pretty enough, you need this cosmetic. You're not cool enough, you need this car. You're not healthy enough, you need this miracle weight-loss regimen. You're not stylish enough, so we're going to show you what you need to buy/wear today. Did you ever notice that advertising is all about making you unhappy with where you are, what you have, etc.? It's focused on making you feel dissatisfied. It seeks to rob you of your joy, in my opinion, and replace that joy with something external and artificial. You'll only be happy if you buy this product.
Well, I call BS. I claim Perseverance -- choosing not to believe the lies I tell myself. I claim Indomitable Spirit -- choosing not to believe the lies that the world and others try to get me to listen to.
My two cents worth today.
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