“
A very misunderstood word, humility is often seen as the same thing as meek or even weak. Nothing could be more wrong. Humility comes when a person knows he or she is the best of the bunch and has no need to brag.
In most martial arts, humility is taught right along with respect. It’s taught in the way martial artists stand, greet instructors, and even in the way they wear their uniforms.
Most people don’t think about humility when they think about the martial arts. They think instead of controlling others, making them submit to the martial artists. But true martial artists don’t think this way; they think instead of controlling and mastering themselves.
And when a martial artists has gained more control and mastery of self, humility seems to come much more naturally.
Why is humility so important? Because it is the quality of being respectful of others. Not being vain and saying, “Me first!” Not being arrogant and thinking of yourself as better than all others. It is going beyond what is necessary to meet the needs of other people.
Humility fuels our service to other people.
All too often, in martial arts and other sports and ways of life, people brag, are confident and even cocky. They talk about what they can do, what they will do, and may even threaten what they think themselves capable of doing.
Over every hill and around every corner there is someone waiting to take them down. To humble them. To humiliate them. You can see this often in the world of sports.
But martial arts is very different than most sports. Rather than focus on winning, martial arts is a way of life; a way to make oneself a better person.
Much of the time, the way to make yourself a better person is to be aware you aren’t perfect. This is the realm of humility. Only when you let go of your ego will you really begin to learn and improve yourself.
Humility is one of the great qualities of the person who is living a good life. You have the choice to be humble and face life with humility or possibly being humiliated by someone else.
When you choose to begin your journey toward the kind of life martial arts can lead you to, remember Shifu Ahles at Blue Dragon School of Martial Arts is ready and able to help you in reaching your goals. Contact him at 201-385-3130 today and get started or started again!
”
