With Veteran’s Day approaching, I thought it was an appropriate time to talk about heroes. My blog below is about the people we choose to turn into our personal heroes, the people who influence us the most on a daily basis. Yet this weekend is a reminder that all of the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country deserve recognition as heroes in some way as well. Every one of them has vowed to sacrifice his or her life for our nation and its people, and retired veterans have given years of their lives and pieces of their souls so that people at home can live as safely and as free as possible. They deserve our sincere gratitude, consideration, and assistance in many cases. Helping a veteran, thanking a veteran, giving your time to a veteran are all ways we can repay even a small amount of what they did and continue to do for us…they are heroes worthy of respect and gratitude, even if they no longer wear the official uniform. So this weekend, thank a veteran and do what you can for those of them in need; they answered the call for us when we needed them.
~K
We all have heroes…people we look up to, admire, and try to emulate. They can be fictional superheroes, they can be activists, they can be sports stars, they can be fighters or involved in martial arts, they can be teachers. It’s important to have heroes…they are role models and represent an ideal. They raise our standards, bring out the best in us, and push us to be better. But unlike fictional heroes, people that you place on a pedestal in real life are human and fallible, and if you don’t recognize that then they will eventually disappoint you. That’s why it’s important to both choose your heroes with open eyes, measuring both the good and the bad, and also remember that no one is perfect.
Be cautious when choosing heroes, and remember that a profession or a proficiency does not completely define a person. For example, martial artists are culturally viewed as a model for an ideal of discipline. Now, martial arts attract people for many different reasons, most of them good. For example, many of us are drawn to the principles of discipline and honor and strength. But they also attract some people because they represent a kind of power. A person who wishes to have power over others tends to be drawn to professions such as police officer, teacher, or priest, which is why there is occasional abuse in these communities. Martial arts is similar in that it gives a practitioner not only physical power but an aura of authority; people in general see martial artists as examples of wisdom, strength, and honor, and while most martial artists fit this description, there are also many who don’t. So choose your heroes wisely, and in the martial arts community simply remember that having skill in martial arts does not necessarily equal a strong character and a good heart. Just because a person can throw a beautiful punch, kick, armbar, triangle choke, or can do a gun disarm or knife disarm in self defense, does not make him or her a great person. When assessing a person, keep in mind that actions speak much louder than words.
Even if you have found an amazing person to admire and look up to, everyone is human, and everyone falls. One of the most crushing things is when a hero lets you down; it can cause bitterness and pain and backlash. But is that really fair? This is why it’s so important to realize that everyone has flaws. They’re easy to see in mythical superheroes. Superman’s weakness is kryptonite. Bruce Banner’s is anger. Flaws and weaknesses are harder to see in people in the real world, and we all have them. Be careful about raising people to pedestals; it can create unfair pressure and expectation. Everyone falls, and at times everyone needs help getting up. A very important measure of what makes a person worthy of being a hero or role model to others is how he or she chooses to get up and go on after falling. Someone who admits their weaknesses and confronts their demons is someone I admire, not someone who has a façade of perfection. Consider this when you choose your heroes, both within and without the martial arts community.
What might someone admire you for?
So admire and idolize the great parts of people…and learn from their flaws as well as from their strengths. And when you’ve done so take a long look at yourself. Whose hero are you? You may not even realize that people may be looking up to you, admiring you, learning from you. Without trying to hide anything, what do you want them to see? Hopefully it is a good person who is human, a person actively trying to be better. So what are your strengths and weaknesses? What might someone admire you for? How can you do your best to improve your flaws? If you are a student of martial arts at Elite, you are aware of our school principles of respect, honor, strength, and discipline. These principles guide every aspect of Elite (from our management to each of our programs; Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu BJJ, Mixed Martial Arts MMA, Kali Silat warrior yoga, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and youth mma and jiu jitsu), and if you apply them to your outside life as well as to your training you will be someone worthy of esteem and admiration; through your actions you will affect others in a positive way.
~Katie Toney
Elite Training Center
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net
