The philosophy of Taekwon-Do can be summed up in the five lines of the Student’s Oath. Students Oath of Taekwon-Do I shall observe the tenets of Taekwon-Do I shall respect the instructor and seniors I shall never misuse Taekwon-Do I shall be a champion of freedom and justice I shall build a more peaceful world However to look a little deeper, the philosophy of Taekwon-Do is to build a more peaceful world. To accomplish this goal Taekwon-Do begins with the foundation, the individual. The Art strives to develop the character, personality, and positive moral and ethical traits in each practitioner. It is upon this "foundation" of individuals possessing positive attitudes and characteristics that the "end goal" may be achieved. Taekwon-Do strives to develop the positive aspects of an individual's personality: Respect, Courtesy, Goodness, Trustworthiness, Loyalty, Humility, Courage, Patience, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, an Indomitable Spirit and a sense of responsibility to help and respect all forms of life. This takes a great deal of hard training and many do not reach far enough to achieve perfection in all of these aspects. However, it is the physical, mental, and spiritual effort which the individual puts forth that develops the positive attributes and image of both the individual and how he or she perceives others. By helping mould an individual into a well-rounded and responsible person, the individual can pass onto others, through both his teachings and his personal actions, the principles he has learned through his Taekwon-Do training. Individuals unite and become a family, families come together and form a community, communities merge and develop into a nation, and nations are what make up our present-day world. In order to help build a more peaceful world, Taekwon-Do starts with one person at a time. Gradually groups form, dojangs (schools) emerge, organizations develop, until Taekwon-Do's philosophy has influenced, in a positive way, enough persons, families, communities, and nations, to someday bring about, or at least help bring about, the unification of nations dedicated to helping each other. The task is not easy. Just like the metamorphosis an individual goes through from white belt to black belt and eventually Master, so the transition of the unification of nations united by laws of peace, is a long and hard task. Taekwon-Do strives for this unification. Race, creed, and nationality have nothing to do with Taekwon-Do. They are all one in the same. Taekwon-Do reaches toward the total development of the individual and the founding of a peaceful world. No matter what colour a person’s skin, no matter what his religion, no matter where his national boundaries we all seek one thing, Peace. This peace can only be achieved if each person has found peace within himself. Taekwon-Do reaches toward the cultivation of this inner peace and the development of a well-rounded responsible individual. The physical aspects of Taekwon-Do are merely a by-product of Taekwon- Do. It is the mental and spiritual development of a person which Taekwon- Do nurtures and helps give birth to. The philosophy of Taekwon-Do can be attained through the cultivation and maturity of all three aspects of the Art; physical, mental and spiritual, in each individual. Once these three aspects have been instilled in a person, then the total maturation of the person will start a chain-reaction which will, with God's help, lead us to a more peaceful world. Taekwon-Do is doing its part to build a more peaceful world, I, as an instructor, am doing my best to attain this goal, and you, as a practitioner of the Art of Taekwon-Do, have begun to set the world on the path of peaceful unification. Our task is not an easy one. We may not see our goal fulfilled in our lifetime, but we are now planting the seeds which will one day take root and blossom into Taekwon-Do's philosophy, total positive development of each individual and a peaceful world. Tenets of Taekwon-do (Taekwon-do Jungshin) Courtesy (Ye Ui) Integrity (Yom Chi) Perseverance (In Nae) Self control (Guk Gi) Indomitable spirit (Baekjool Boolgool) Courtesy (Ye Ui) It can be said that courtesy is an unwritten regulation prescribed by ancient teachers of philosophy as a means to enlighten human beings while maintaining a harmonious society. It can be further be as an ultimate criterion required of a mortal. Taekwon-Do students should attempt to practice the following elements of courtesy to build up their noble character and to conduct the training in an orderly manner as well. To promote the spirit of mutual concessions To be polite to one another To encourage the sense of justice and humanity To distinguish instructor from student, senior from junior, and elder from younger To behave oneself according to etiquette To respect others’ possessions To handle matters with fairness and sincerity To refrain from giving or accepting a gift when in doubt Integrity (Yom Chi) In Taekwon-Do, the word integrity assumes a looser definition than the one usually presented in Webster’s dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong and have a conscience, if wrong, to feel guilt. Listed are some examples where integrity is lacking: The instructor who misrepresents himself and his art by presenting improper techniques to his students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy. The student who misrepresents himself by “fixing” breaking materials before demonstrations. The instructor who camouflages bad technique with luxurious training halls and false flattery to his students. The student who requests ranks from an instructor, or attempts to purchase it. The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power. The instructor who teaches and promotes his art for materialistic gains. The students whose actions do not live up to his words. The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors. Perseverance (In Nae) There is an old Oriental saying, “Patience leads to virtue or merit, One can make a peaceful home by being patient for 100 times.” Certainly happiness and prosperity are most likely brought to the patient person. To achieve something, whether it is a higher degree or the perfection or a technique, one must set his goal, then constantly persevere. Robert Bruce learned his lesson of perseverance from the persistent efforts of a lowly spider. It was this perseverance and tenacity that finally enabled him to free Scotland in the fourteenth century. One of the most important secrets in becoming a leader of Taekwon-Do is to overcome every difficulty by perseverance. Confucius said, “one who is impatient in trivial matters can seldom achieve success in matters of great importance.” Self control (Guk Gi) This tenet is extremely important inside and outside the dojang, whether conducting oneself in free sparring or in one’s personal affairs. A loss of self-control in free sparring can prove disastrous to both student and opponent. An inability to live and work within one’s capability or sphere is also a lack of self-control. According to Lao-Tzu “the term of stronger is the person who wins over oneself rather than someone else.” Indomitable spirit (Baekjool Boolgool) “Here lie 300, who did their duty,” a simple epitaph for one of the greatest acts of courage known to mankind. Although facing the superior forces of Xerxes, Leonidas and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae showed the world the meaning of indomitable spirit. It is shown when a courageous person and his principles are pitted against overwhelming odds. A serious student of Taekwon-Do will at all times be modest and honest. If confronted with injustice, he will deal with the belligerent without any fear or hesitation at all, with indomitable spirit, regardless of whosoever and however many the number may be. Confucius declared,” It is an act of cowardice to fail to speak out against injustice.” As history has proven, those who have pursued their dreams earnestly and strenuously with indomitable spirit have never failed to achieve their goals