Carried to Extreme

Class

Some good things are carried to the extreme until they are turned into bad things.

Competitiveness v. Combativeness

Competitiveness is a good thing; it builds good character. Competitive people push themselves to increasing levels of performance. They are always trying to win. If you only do something for enjoyment, then you will not care if you lose as long as you have fun. You may or may not be good at what you do, and you do not really care. However, competitors are never satisfied until they win and they keep winning. They are always pushing themselves toward achieving greater things. However, they do not believe in winning at any cost; they play by the rules and respect other competitors.

When competitors carry thing too far and lose respect for themselves and others, they become combative. They look for fights and find them at every corner. They see everything as a challenge of their abilities, so they think they must put down the challenges at any cost. Combativeness is a bad thing.

Good Taekwondo fighters are fiercely competitive, but they are never combative. They will do what it takes to win, but they will not do anything to win; their personal integrity and honor prevents them from winning at any cost. To a true warrior, honor is more important than winning.

Confidence v. Arrogance

Confidence is a good thing; it helps you achieve your goals in life. Without confidence, you will probably never even try, and, if you try, you will probably not succeed, and, even if you do succeed, you will probably view it as a fluke and still lack confidence. Confident people are never afraid to try, they always think they have a chance to succeed, and, even if they do not succeed, they will work harder and try again.

When confidence is carried to the extreme, people become arrogant. They think they are better than everyone else is, and thus, they think they are special and deserve special notice. They do not draw any satisfaction from winning because they do not think others deserve the win, and, when the arrogant lose, they think it was because of a conspiracy against them by the little people. Arrogance is a bad thing.

Good Taekwondo fighters are confident in their abilities, but they respect their competitors and do not degrade or belittle them. A true warrior respects the opponent’s courage as he deals the deathblow and knows, that for the grace of God, he or she would be dead instead of the opponent.

Loyalty v. Blind Loyalty

Allegiance and loyalty to a person or a cause is a good thing; it makes you trustworthy and allows you to trust that the person or cause will be loyal to you. Loyalty keeps relationships strong and stable.

However, when your loyalty allows you to be blinded to the unreasonable, illogical, improper, or illegal actions or behavior committed by the person or cause, it becomes a bad thing.

Good Taekwondo students are loyal to the art, their organizations, their schools, their instructors, and their fellow students, but they do not allow their loyalty blind them to that which is wrong. A true warrior fights beside his master in honorable battle, but when the master strays into dishonor, the true warrior will fight against his master.

Dedication v. Obsession

Dedication is good thing. Dedication to a goal gives you the strength and perseverance you need to reach the goal. Dedicated people are not deterred by adversity; they simply endue it, work around it, and continue toward achieving their goal.

However, some people are so focused on reaching a goal that they neglect other responsibilities and become obsessed with reaching the goal. Then, even if they achieve their goal, there is no satisfaction because they have ruined their lives during the quest for the goal. Obsession is a bad thing.

Good Taekwondo students are dedicated to becoming black belts and achieving greatness in the art. However, when the dedication reaches the point of an obsession and it causes their education, jobs, relationships, and friendships to suffer, it is a bad thing. A true warrior works hard at his craft, but he knows there are other important things in life that must be nurtured.

ARTICLE COMMENTS: Only registered users may view or make article comments!

JComments