Thoughts from a Hopeful Sensei, 2nd Edition: The Dawn after Dublin's Dark Moment
I have the honour of leading a local north Dublin martial arts club of ~70+ students & members. A group of brilliant people all giving their valuable time to learning and growing together, week-in, week-out, in the sport & art of shotokan karate.
As a sensei, every time I stand up in front of a class to teach (we call this 'shomen'), I am welcomed with the wonderful sight of diverse creeds & cultures of all colours. White belts. Yellow belts. Blue belts. Brown belts. Even black belts.
But the colour of these belts doesn't matter.
Despite what people often think, even in martial arts the colour of one's belt is not meant to signify any degree of superiority, or privilege, over others. It is simply meant to signify an experience of those who have gone before, and those who may have something to teach to those who follow. The translation of the word sensei - often used to mean 'teacher' or 'instructor' - literally translates into "one who has been before", rather than making any reference to superiority or a greater position in society. Equally, the colour of a karate belt - or obi - is nothing more meaningful than the sign of the greying hairs we grow, or the scars of life lessons learned in time.
What does matter, behind the many wonderful colours and creeds and 'wisdom highlights' as my barber so kindly calls them; is the experience and attitude each of every individual brings to our dojo, our club, and our community. I am so incredibly proud to say that my modest martial arts club is the home of a diverse community of karateka from many different walks of life; all coming together for shared goals and values. As individuals, it doesn't matter where we're from, or how we worship, or which foods we eat or when we fast, or why. What matters is how we turn up together, to share and learn and grow, and benefit from that diversity. Ultimately, we come together as people with a sense of shared values, all striving for the betterment of ourselves and our society, and every training session is a step in the direction of these shared values. Human values.
In Shotokan, we codify those values into what we call the Dojo Kun, written over a hundred years ago by master Gichin Funakoshi sensei:
The Dojo Kun: Our Guiding Principles
Martial artist or not, I hope everyone can see the value in these guiding principles.
Just as in the dojo kun, I refuse to accept a world in which we show disrespect or even more worryingly violence to others on the basis of nothing more than the different colours of their creed. It is in the beauty of this mix of colours, that we benefit the most.
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Our Dublin Dojo; Creating a Safe Sanctuary of Celebrated Diversity
The moment you step foot into a karate dojo, you are expected to bow at the door - known as 'rei' - as a mark of respect to all those you train with, but also as a reminder to forget all egos and ambitions at the door. We are here to train to better ourselves, to learn from one another, and to seek the perfection of our character. When we bring our diverse backgrounds and experiences into our dojo, just like our society, we create a deeper opportunity to meaningfully grow and learn from one another.
In ~15 years of teaching karate in Dublin, I am greeted at every session by the smiling faces of students showing up of every size, shape and colour you can ask for.
And I think that is something to be celebrated. Shouldn't society be the same?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
OSS! ????
Rory ??
Senior Sales Account Executive- LinkedIn Marketing Solutions chez LinkedIn
12 个月Rory, it is a beautiful analogy ! Thanks for writing it. In my rugby club, we have more than 6 nationalities, it is what makes our strengths. Whatever we come from we fight every weekend with the same intensity for our club.