Detail Your Own Philosophy of “Do” for Brown Belt Test
To me, Do is a sort of morality, a way of living (after all, it is the “way of life”). Do is what keeps us from using our Tae Kwon Do skills selfishly and to cause harm to other unnecessarily. It tells us what is right and what is wrong and shows us that there are certain principles we should all live by if we want to achieve happiness. Do is the truth that makes up these principles. It tells us to be honest, accept our faults, and always strive to better ourselves, but not to demean or cause harm to others.
If we are honest with ourselves, then thinking about the future will not cause much stress or anxiety. For example, while studying for a job interview (as I am currently in the process of doing), we can become quite anxious and feel that we won’t get or don’t deserve the job. However, by being honest about our abilities, we can focus on our weakest skills and try to better them, while staying confident in our strongest areas. Knowing ourselves and what we are capable of, or still need improvement on, is the key to confidence, especially in the context of a difficult job interview. We must always look for the truth within ourselves, and this truth is Do. If we can find the truth, then we can more accurately predict what the future holds for us. Then, there is less uncertainty about our future, and therefore we feel less stress and anxiety because everything is now more clear, like finding a path in the woods (as the study guide describes).
Do is the truth about the world and about ourselves especially. Without it, we could not plan for the future because we know nothing about what we are capable of. Because we know these capabilities, we must also use Do to keep ourselves from causing harm to others. Someone who is very confident in their martial arts abilities might feel that no one can stop them from doing what they want (and so, might get into fights over pointless things). However, this is a wrong thought, because it implies that this person is more important than anyone else, and that what they want is the only thing that matters. This is obviously not true, and finding Do means finding not only our own confidence, but finding that there are more important things than being selfish. Finding Do means learning more about ourselves and the world around us.
– Written by Mike Facelle (New Red/Black belt student)