I DO NOT WANT TO USE MASK by GM Patrico Saavedra

I DO NOT WANT TO USE A MASK

By Grandmaster Patricio Saavedra

We have probably heard this phrase quite often lately. "I don't want to wear a mask, it is against my rights." Well, I touch on this topic since my trip to Japan in 2018 came to mind. It was my first time in Tokyo with my son Fabian. When we arrived in Tokyo we were greeted by a typhoon, but that's another story. After resting that night, we got up to have breakfast and get to know the Akihabara neighborhood, which is where Fabian chose to stay, and after breakfast we left to explore. Fascinated by the environment, I began to notice that many Japanese of both sexes and different ages used a mask. (I remind you that this was 2018, and nothing was known about the pandemic yet.) This piqued my curiosity because it was very frequent. So, we decided to ask at the end of the day at the

I Do Not Want to Use a Mask

KJN Patricio Saavedra

hotel. The answer made more sense later when the pandemic arrived. The Japanese wear a mask when they are sick to avoid transmitting germs to other people. The truth is that makes me think how advanced the Japanese are in their way of thinking compared to our Western society. Our society is concerned only with the self and nothing more than the self. There is much to learn from the Japanese, a society more advanced than ours regarding respect for the other, and a society in which respect for others is above all. There are many more things we learned during our time in Japan, things that left us wanting to return. If everything allows, that will be in 2022. There are more stories that I am going to tell you, but that will be in the next edition. I just want to close with this. We who teach or practice martial arts should try to be a bit Japanese and show more respect towards each other. "Respecting others is the best tool to earn respect." Until next time!