The essay aims to discuss the most memorable days of my life, ‘My Taekwondo Days’. The essay is all about the my experiences through the days I learned Taekwondo and how it transformed me into a much better, responsible and caring person in every aspect of life. The essay explores how Taekwondo made me more humble and inculcated some very essential and important traits in my behavior and personality.
When I joined Taekwondo, I had only idea on mind and it was the only thing that mattered to me. I though Taekwondo would make me powerful enough to fight anybody and that I would brag and boast about it, once I acquire the art totally.
It did make me powerful, but in a very different manner. I realized where the real purpose of being powerful rests, I realized that fighting is the last resort, I realized and understood that best fights are the ones we refrain from or avoid. Nothing else could have taught be this lesson the way Taekwondo did.
Taekwondo makes one both physically as well as mentally strong. The definition of Tae Kwon Do gives quite an insight into what it really stands for. ‘Taekwondo literally translates into three separate words in Korean. The first part “Tae” generally means using the “foot” or “leg”. The second part “Kwon” generally means using the “hand” or “arm”. The last part “Do” generally means the “way” or “discipline”. ‘ (kimtaekwondo, 2008). The definition is self explanatory and quite efficiently points to the multi dimensions of Taekwondo. The “Do” part ensures that the form is not just limited to physical factor and that mental factor has equal importance too.
On the one hand Taekwondo made me physically stronger and healthier and on the other, it ensured that I was always full of self-confidence, a sense of well-being and discipline. It taught me how to overcome and fight physical as well as mental fatigue. Through Taekwondo I obtained a strong and fit body and helped me immensely in improving the coordination between my different body parts. My senses became more active and my body parts became more agile. “Healthy Mind Lives in a Healthy body’, I experienced the adage practically during the days I learned Taekwondo. Taekwondo changes the way my mind used to perceive things. It made me think faster and better and hence drastically sharpened my mind.
Apart from the Physical and Mental well being, Taekwondo taught me a plethora of things. Things which are imperative to lead and live a happy, satisfied, prosperous and respectable life. It taught me to be content, to have patience. It taught me that not only did I, but others matter to. It taught me to respect elders and love the younger ones. It converted me into a much more refined person. I started being on time everywhere, a habit I still follow and am admired and respected for.
It taught me about brotherhood and co-operation. I integrated and used all the lessons I learnt through Taekwondo in my practical life and found them to be really useful and beneficial. I understood that factors like age and gender have no significance and it is one’s abilities, Determination and Will that sets him/her apart. The Taekwondo days changed my attitude towards my life and towards others. It opened many horizons for me, which I had never experienced and never thought had existed. I learnt to love and respect my family members. I learnt to value relationships and to cherish and maintain them for life. I learnt that trust was the single most important thing in a relationship and that it can make or break our relationships with our friends and near and dear ones.
I tendered bonds with other students in the Taekwondo classes and learned to understand others. I understood that life becomes easier if we value and respect other’s opinions and establish a sense of understanding with them. Respecting others fetches you respect, my master once told me. It was etched in my mind and still remember the words and the expression on his face as he said this, very vividly. I follow this approach in my life and can proudly claim that it has earned me friends for life. I learnt that real power was about protecting the weak and that fights and wars serve no purpose. It doesn’t really matter how strong you are, what matters is how you use your strength. It can be used both for good and bad, the choice rests with us and the real fighter or warrior is the one who uses his power for constructive purposes. I realized that great powers do not come alone, they come with equally important responsibilities.
The days changed me to someone better, someone much more tolerant, some much more humble and some much more stronger. The Taekwondo days taught me all practical and real lessons which are very much applicable in our lives. The lessons which normal education fails at teaching us very convincingly.
Taekwondo days were the ones I would always cherish and remember throughout my life and they turned me into what I am today. Those days taught me things which are worth remembering and passing on to next generations.
Works Cited
kimtaekwondo. ”About Taekwondo”
Kim Taekwondo. 6 December 2012. Web. 2008.
