2nd Dan test paper
Trina Springsteen
December 8, 2012
What is the
difference??
At a family gathering recently I was telling my family of the
excitement happening with the next testing date in December. The visiting
Grandmasters, 8th Dan tests, and my own test for 2nd Dan
had them asking many questions. I love to tell people about Tae Kwon Do so
answered them as fast as they asked except for one question that gave me pause.
My Step Dad asked “what was the difference between the 2nd Dan and the 8th
Dan test?” I explained how it takes many years to gain that rank and that there
are many options to study or consider in your training. As I was thinking about
my answer to the question later I posed this one to myself. What is the
difference between me now and when I started Tae Kwon Do?
One of the first things you learn besides the physical
requirements are the mental ones. The first I think of are the tenets of Tae
Kwon Do. As a white belt these were just simple meanings to the words. Courtesy
meant to be respectful and polite. Integrity meant to do what is right. Perseverance
meant to push on through. Self control meant to handle yourself appropriately.
Indomitable spirit meant the fight from within. After the years I have been in
Tae Kwon Do the tenets mean this and more.
Courtesy is not only
bowing to senior belts and to say please and thank you. It has a deeper meaning
to me that extend to all aspects of a relationship with a person. I try less to
assume I know all about a person. I try to put myself in their shoes. I work
hard to try to be patient and think of the struggle another may be having.
Courtesy may be the few extra minutes you have to wait in a store as an elderly
person struggles to navigate in the digital world or that you need to walk a
little slower for a handicapped person to make it through an entrance.
Integrity is making the choice to be honest to yourself and
others. As an adult it is the example your children and other young people
around you see. We all make mistakes, but to own up to them, apologize and
attempt to do better is what I strive for.
Perseverance is an everyday and even several times a day occurrence
for me. Things could be so much easier if I didn’t persevere. To give up to say
that is good enough. To persevere is a new chance to get it right and do it
better. Kick a little higher, run for longer periods of time, or stick to a
healthy eating plan. Any time is right to persevere.
Self control has helped in many situations for me to take a
moment for pause. In this moment I can look and see what a situation needs. Do
I need more power, less words, or an action to make a situation better? Self
control has less to do with trying to behave in a certain way as it is a
certain way to look at my behavior and react to a situation correctly.
Indomitable spirit is something that as you find it in
yourself you are able to pass that on to others. It’s as if seeing someone
struggle and they use their spirit to push on and do what seems impossible that
you too can do the same.
So what difference is there? These five are only the
beginning. There are more in progress including some of the leadership that
comes with a higher rank. Teaching is a step I would like to make, but hesitate
because I am not always the greatest teacher. I have a hard time teaching to
those who have no interest in learning or show no respect to those trying to
teach. I know all students do not learn the same. This is an area I am
currently working on. Future
differences I hope to make are to be a better representative of the physical
changes our martial art has to offer. As I get older I feel every day the toll
not being physically fit can take. For example having sore joints and feeling
sluggish after a day of not doing anything but sitting in front of the TV. This
is a longer term goal I will be starting on soon.
As I travel on to the next level in my Tae Kwon Do career I
see differences every day that will serve me well on my journey.
