AN EXPLORATION OF TSD´s

An Exploration of Tang Soo Do's Eight Key Concepts: Kyum Son

SBN Mary Cayte Reiland

Tang soo readers, happy June! This month, we continue with the discussion of the fifth of the Tang Soo Do Eight Key Concepts. Up next is Kyum Son, also known as humility. According to the dictionary, humility is defined as “a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.” I’ve said countless times to various people that I’m one of the least important people on the planet, and I believe that, not to downplay my life or that I truly have a low opinion of myself. Compared to the vastness of this world, we are all small insignificant specks by comparison. Think about it, one life in billions, how small can you get? Within the last year, I’ve had countless opportunities to exercise humility. When I switched schools, my new instructors were very critical and corrected me often (hell, they still do). At first, I thought they were picking at me because they wanted me to do things their way rather than the way I was originally taught, but I was wrong. It’s not personal at all, all they want is for me to improve and reach my potential, as a student and teacher. Exercising humility, I am receptive to their teachings and corrections. Here’s another thought on humility. One instructor once said that we should exercise a higher level of conscious awareness in our lives. At the time, I thought he meant that we should grow eyes in the back of our heads so we can see if people are following us on the streets, so we’ll always be wary and thus safe in any situation. Looking back on it now, I can see where it would also apply to humility. To exercise conscious awareness, we need to be aware of ourselves as well as others. Know your strengths and weaknesses, own them, and always try to improve. Humility is at the crux of learning martial arts. When you begin, you know nothing, so it’s easy to let your instructors guide you. However, when you get to a certain level, for some it’s around red belt, getting ready to test for black belt, that you think you know everything. I’ve seen it time and time again, people who get bored with basics or combinations because they think they have mastered them already. They couldn’t be farther from the mastering of anything without the humility to recognize it. You will never grow to your full potential unless you drop your ego and open up to the teachings of others. Having had varying experiences of learning, trust me, you’ll never truly be open to see what’s out there unless you open up to it. Five down, three to go! Take care and Tang Soo!

SBN Mary Cayte Reiland, USA