Black Belt Prestige

The 60 Minutes television show recently ran a piece on a child music prodigy who, at 10 years old, composes symphonies. The boy said he hears music in his head and writes it down, and that what he hears is prefect and never needs to be changed. Beethoven and Mozart made so many changes to their symphonies that some were never finished. That is the difference between immaturity and maturity. Adults realize they may be wrong, children always think they are right. That is way we do not let them carry guns and knives  no matter how well trained they are in their usage; it should also be why we do not teach them how to seriously injure, maim, or kill.

In many martial art schools, you may find a child teaching a class of children, or even teaching a class of adults. In what other endeavor will you find adults paying to be instructed by a child, or paying to have their child taught by another child?

For example, one day your boss tells you that you must attend a seminar on the subject of how to deal with problem employees. She says the seminar will cover how to be more understanding of employee problems, how to help them solve their problems, and how to discipline them if necessary, and that the seminar will be taught by a “certified” expert in the field of employee relations. You think, “This sounds great! I think it help me be a better supervisor.” Then your boss says that you will have to pay for the class yourself. At first this upsets you, but, after some thought, you agree that the training may be worth the money. When you get to the seminar, you find it is being taught by a 16-year-old boy who has been “certified” as an expert by his instructor’s “organization,” which is operated by the instructor’s instructor. What would you do? Would you stay for the seminar and believe what a child tells you about complex employee relations, or would you leave and demand your money back?