Obedience is one of the most important factors in preserving a martial art tradition. The life of humans, is like a flower. A flower starts first from a seed, which then develops a stem and leaves. Later the actual blossom reaches maturity, blooms, and as the blossom wilts, it drops seeds to the ground. Then the rest of the flower begins to age and die. When the stem and leaves finally fall to the ground, it begins to decay leaving its nutrients for the seed it dropped to use in order to grow up healthy. This seed will then grow using its parent’s life as the basis for its own.
One first must have respect for this process, and an understanding of the relationship between the parent flower and the child flower. The relationship of this natural process is the same as the relationship of a family. Also a martial art master and student’s relationship is the same as a parent and child’s. Parents and art “DO” masters give and teach all of their experience and knowledge to their children. This is for the sole purpose of the benefit and success of the next generation. Because parents and masters give their best to their children, the children must positively obey their parents and master.
A martial art requires even more obedience because the master makes a weapon out of the student. If the student uses those weapons without an obedient, respectful, patient, and self-defense purpose, they will go to jail and only learn bad things, and then continue along a path of darkness. So without teaching this philosophy, the martial art master will damage their student’s life and destroy a wonderful human society. That is why, Hwa Rang Do® strongly requires obedience, patience, respect, loyalty, and honor from the mentality of our wonderful martial art practitioners.