“To enlighten and evolve through the art of Kenpo”
| Volume 10 |
January - May 2005 |
Issue 1 |
From The President...
Scott Montoya Receives the Navy Cross
From The President...
by Bryan Hawkins, President, UKS
Watch your thoughts - They become your
words.
Watch your words - They become your actions.
Watch your actions - They become your habits.
Watch your habits - They become your character.
Watch your character - It becomes your destiny.
This is an adage that is most often used in religious settings to promote proper behavior through introspection. Like most sound and logical philosophical teaching this saying can be directly applied to our Kenpo training.
In the beginning, for most students, you had to think about joining the Kenpo school. For one of any number of reasons you thought it was a good idea to start training. First you probably spoke to a number of friends and got advice as to where to go. Then you had to use your words and speak to the Kenpo instructor to make arrangements to begin your journey. From the very first Kenpo lesson you started the action of Kenpo that is the physical training of basics to acquaint your mind and body with the physical movements involved in our self-defense system. A key element to becoming proficient with your art, to truly internalize the sequential flow, is to make your art habitual. After weeks, months, and years of training, Kenpo should simply be part of who you are. The way to achieve this is by making your training a habit -- something that you consistently perform. With proper guidance from a skilled instructor, one’s character is molded or at least influenced by the repetition of the training itself. Mr. Parker once said, “The only way to climb the ladder to attain the wisdom and enlightenment of the dragon is through physical training in the earthly realm of the tiger.”
I believe without question that one’s character has a direct effect on one’s destiny. The character traits of a Kenpoist should be one of humility, righteousness, assertiveness, logic, integrity, and compassion -- to name a few. It is a challenge for anyone in life to set proper character guidelines for ourselves and then live within these parameters, even when no one is watching. Every Kenpoist of rank has a “mandate” to establish and then live by honorable character honed by thoughts, words, actions, and habits. Your destiny is your own.