A Dedication to My Hwa Rang Do Sons & Daughters.

Posted on July 12, 2011April 20, 2021 by taejoonlee

Sigh…

Oh how time has flown. It has already been 17 years since I first opened this school and with the help of my loyal pupil converted it from a tattered, left for dead Tae Kwon Do school, to a beautiful majestic space where my students and family can call it their second home. It has also been a long time since I actually had written a speech. However, this year, I feel compelled to write everything down as I don’t want to forget anything. I am definitely not a young pup anymore and sometimes my memory fails me.

There have been literally thousands of students who have passed through those doors and honored me with the opportunity to mold, teach, and yes sometimes, maybe often scold and discipline. There have been also, many parents who I have had the fortunate opportunity, actually some more than others, to meet, advice, and council. I have witnessed children wetting the matt floor to women stomping out of class in an emotional melt down. I have heard excuses ranging from “my dog ate my sash” to “I am an actor and the discipline here is stifling my creativity.” I have parents who have praised me with boundless love and support to parents who have resented me as their children obey me more than them. I have parents who have told me that they will move wherever I go as their child needs me to blaming me for spanking, later to find out that the child injured himself playing on the monkey bars. I have received gifts ranging from a sweatshirt that reads “I yell because I care” to a new oven to fuel my new hobby of cooking. I have enjoyed many triumphs and countless moments of joy and excitement, but most of all I have endured many heartbreaks and disappointments.

Beginning of this year, I was forced to readdress the aching question that has always lingered, ready to reveal itself in grand fashion in the deep recesses of my mind, but suppressed: first, when my bible studies teacher told me to “shut up” for asking too many questions when I was in my early teens; then later in college when I pursued philosophy and realized that it only sparked more questions than answers. So, I decided to live life and stop asking: Stop asking the existence of god, what is truth and what makes it true, what is the purpose of mankind, where did we come from, and if there was a god, then where did god come from, etc, etc…

I have resolved within myself that the only way to know the truth is to live life and experience as much as I can with a vigilant yet open mind, unafraid to be hurt, disappointed or disillusioned. I have traveled and done much throughout my life, gaining as much knowledge as I can soak up about people and their nature. Finally I decided to take root by opening this school in West LA. The last 17 years was challenging to say the least, but we have always found a way to persevere.

During the early part of this year, there were some eye-opening experiences that I am not going to get into for the moment, but lets just say that the desire to know the truth became more immediate than ever and it consumed my entire being. It shook my foundation and made me ask: how come we are in this global financial crisis where the dollar is worth nothing and the disparity of wealth is ever-increasing; how we have all globally agreed in this scam of using monopoly money; how come people are starving all over the world and we are facing a food crisis; why are we facing the shortage of oil with no replacement in sight; why if there have been so much more advances in technology that we could not find solutions to these problems; why with so many more institutions of higher learning, so many more college graduates, and professors that we cannot seem to resolve the core issues that affect the our continued survival; why are there more wars than ever before; and could we all be some lab experiment of a multi-dimensional being?

We are living in the information age and although it has helped us to live seemingly better lives, there are so much misinformation as well and it’s a monumental task to try to decipher what’s fact from fiction, what’s real from fantasy. I was scared for the first time in my life as my perceptions, my beliefs were tested and there was a brief moment where life became overwhelming, became meaningless and I lost my purpose. And, for me purpose is more important than food, without it I cannot continue to live. After many mornings of meditation and sleepless nights of reflection, I rose once more from what felt like was my burial. And once again it was Hwa Rang Do that has empowered me.

All the creed, all of our goals were more relevant and necessary than ever before. All the things that I have been preaching became imminent and I was called to take action. There’s no tomorrow, only today and what we do today dictates our future. I became more motivated and inspired to fulfill our goals of empowering the world one person at a time.

In a world where it seems that the public is consumed with consumption, not to the fault of their own, but all you have to do is look around you. The corporations are becoming multi-national conglomerates with deep pockets in DC with endless resources to make sure that they sustain their greed for money and power. There are so many ways that they can influence and infiltrate into our lives to create dependencies through fear and hedonism.

It’s all about the bottom line, it’s all about feeling good, it’s all about having the most toys before you die. The martial art industry is like all other industries with the same goals. The goal is to make the customers happy so you can increase retention and repeat business. Don’t give negative criticism, constructive or not. Diminish any activity that would give them a negative experience. Dumb everything down so that it’s easy to do and easy to learn. Make everything fun and enjoyable. Don’t get too involved with the student’s personal life. And definitely no knuckle pushups!

And, yes this is where I have failed as a martial arts entrepreneur. My goal has never been to make the students happy, my goal has always been to offer them strength to realize and love their true self by stripping away their ego, which only serves to comfort them with lies of self grandeur for self-preservation. My students were never my customers, they were students who needed to be taught what they lacked and needed. I have always believed in the balance of both positive and negative reinforcement, and as they got stronger and moved from Tae Soo Do to Hwa Rang Do, the negative reinforcement would prevail. The underlying message of only using positive reinforcement is that you can’t do anything; the underlying message of negative reinforcement is that you should know. What are we training them for? What is the real world like? Who needs training to deal with good experiences? We need training to deal with the bad, negative, painful experiences. So, how can our students learn to deal with the hardships and disappointments of life if they were never exposed to it and never had practice dealing with criticism, disappointments, and conflicts, which are predominant in the real world. This can also be seen in our educational system where in elementary schools, they do not even play games life musical chairs by saying “why should 1 kid win and 30 lose.” All we are doing by this is creating more bait for the sharks. And, I have no interest in raising my students as someone’s lunch.

Oh, don’t even get me started on drugging our children. You know how I feel about that.

No, I do not dumb things down by speaking in terms that children understand in gaga googoo language, but I expect them to learn Korean terminologies as their capacity for languages are best when they are young and it helps to stimulate their brain activity. No I do not demean the seriousness of martial training by making everything into a game that kids can play. How can we make martial training a game where one learns to hurt, injure, maim other people? How is that for fun? We must not delude the serious intent of our training, but rather use it to heighten their awareness and have them pay respect and reverence to what they are doing so that they are careful not to error. They must learn also to do things that are not so fun. Maturity is learning to do the things that you do not like, but in order to get ahead, you must do these compulsory tasks of our lives very well. We must first teach them what they need and then give them what they want. And, they must learn the self-discipline to do the things that they do not enjoy but are necessary.

I know all my students personally and by the time they have reached their Tae Soo Do Black Belt, I know them very well in all aspects of their lives. What is the satisfaction to teach a person how to throw a kick, a punch, to hurt another human being? The satisfaction comes from knowing that you have trained them to be self-disciplined to control themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally to present themselves in the best light possible to others and to extend themselves selflessly to help those in need. A good teacher tells a student what they should do and fix their mistakes when they occur; a great teacher shows the students what they should do and fixes the source of their mistakes so they never occur again.

In this era of uncertainty, which I thought would not happen in my lifetime, but maybe for the future generation, I too looked towards self-preservation and wanted to survive. I became selfish and tried to find ways to secure a better future. Should I make the curriculum easier; should I lower my expectations; should I not be so strict; should I get rid of the knuckle pushups; should I discipline less; should I, should I. For sure, I would be liked by more people, have more friends, less headaches and invited to more baby showers. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I was focused on me and if I saved myself, that’s only one life. Where is the nobility in that? No, I must commit to teaching better, harder, and more to as many people as I can. In that way I may help many to live better. This is what fear does to you. It makes you egocentric, egotistical, selfish, entitled and myopic. Only truly strong and fearless people can be selfless and devote their lives to a higher cause.

This week I attended a high school graduation of one of my Hwa Rang Do Black Sashes, She’s the only teenage female Black Sash that I have taught besides my sisters in the over 33 years I have been teaching. She graduated with honors from Elycee Francais and is accepted to UC Berkeley. As I was walking into the school, I saw some familiar faces and in particular a grandmother of two kids who were formerly my students. I have not seen them in many years as the girl stopped training after receiving her TSD Black Belt, but she is my girl’s best friend and her brother, who also trained when he was 6 or 7 was unrecognizable. He was 6’5”, at only 15 years old and already being recruited by colleges for basketball. I remember him being quite a handful as a little tiger. The grandmother walked over to me and was delighted to see me. She held my hand and said, “Thank you so much for all that you do for the kids.” I have not seen her in 7, 8 years and she left me speechless and as I was fumbling for words like, “ah it was nothing or was it I didn’t do anything.” Before I can say anything, she gave me a big hug and that meant everything to me.

Sitting there in the auditorium as I am trying to see where my girl was in the parade of incoming graduates, I realized that I could not find her. I could not see the cute 4 year old in ponytails. When I finally made her out, she was a beautiful young woman, tall, proud, and with make up and heels. Wow! It’s been 14 years already. And of course we never think of how old we are getting.

As I sat through the speeches from the president and the school faculty, I was reminded that I am not an island, that I am not alone. And you can’t imagine how refreshing that is for me. As the president spoke, what remains in my mind are these two statements; “we do not give compliments easily. They must be earned.” And “we have high standards for our students.” Awesome! I am thinking to myself as I nod in agreement. As she receives her diploma and her awards, I was filled with great joy and satisfaction. And it dawned on me, she was not my girl, not my daughter, but she might as well be. Although she was not my own, it would be the closest I would come to feeling the joy of raising a child.

As I watched her mingle with her friends, taking pictures, and congratulating each other, I was admiring how beautiful she was, how feminine, how delicate, then for a moment I thought to myself, “Oh I should have been easier on her” and that quickly changed to “No, and then, do these people realize that underneath that cover of beauty and femininity, lies a fierce warrior who can seriously kick some ass.” And that thought brought a comforting, satisfied grin across my face. I was genuinely proud of her and I guess I was gloating a little in hoping that my teachings took some part in helping her to be how she is today. However, the true testament of her success lies with the mother, Christina. There were many moments when Andrea, oh did I mention who this girl was, yes it’s Andrea Perez-Bertolotto.

As I was saying, there were many moments when Andrea wanted to quit Hwa Rang Do, especially when all her friends quit. To give you a perspective: in Tae Soo Do they average a belt test every 3 to 4 months, for Hwa Rang Do it takes a year to 1 1/2 and has ten times more the curriculum than Tae Soo Do. So it would take an additional 6 to 10 years to reach Black Sash. These were critical times in their early adolescence with so many distractions, so many new experiences and possibilities. However, Christina did not give her daughter the option of quitting, even after many arguments with her husband, who is in fact a Hwa Rang Do blue sash himself and should have known better, LOL!

And, let me tell you, and all my students know, I was definitely not easy on her even through those awkward years where her body is growing faster than she can handle. We live by the idea of “not looking for exceptions, but to be exceptional!” And that was my aim. I am sure there were many moments she cried herself to sleep and wanted it all to stop. Things did not get easier as she had to prepare for her black sash examination. To review hundreds if not thousands of techniques, moves, forms, fighting, weaponry, then perform them in front of an intimidating board of judges compromised of Dojoonim (our founder) and his high ranking masters, a 15 page minimum dissertation, 2 poems, 2 hour written exam with a mean score of 50 out of 100, power break though concrete slabs, and doing this with a demanding college prep work at school, not to mention that she is the only or one of a very few women in class, having to spar, grapple, and weapon fight 20 to 30 other male adults throughout most of her teen life. To say the least she did excellent and seemed to have breezed through it. I think I was more nervous than she was. I know I was more nervous.

Finally, I saw her prepare for her college entrance exams, interviews and the application process. She could have on any of these occasions asked to take a break, stop training; many have, for far less as breaking of a fingernail. But, she did not. She managed and juggled through all her responsibilities here, her school and family, never complaining, never losing her poise, her character. And neither did her mother.

Usually, by that age, I rarely deal with the parents and it’s even more rare that I receive any credit or compliment from them. I was delighted to have had a chance to chat with the mother, Christina, and I was truly moved that she gives me so much credit to Andrea’s successes. And it moved me even more when she continued to tell me that Andrea measures all her school teachers against me and complains why they are not like Master Lee. I must say this was big surprise! She went on to say that Andrea’s school teachers tell her that Andrea is a very special girl, especially when she’s able to bring a rowdy, loud, unruly class to attention by just standing, turn and give a deadly stare with the intensity partly of Grandmaster Lee and partly Andrea. The entire class comes to a silent attention. Yes, this is why I do what I do, talking to myself. Yes, this is what I must do. It had uplifted my spirits and I have regained my purpose.

There are countless other stories of my student’s successes and how their dedication and commitment inspires me. But, I will leave you with one more.

I have another student who started when he was 12, 13. He received his TSD Black Belt, graduated from Winward High, did his undergraduate work at Harvard, then got accepted into one of the most demanding MBA programs in the country at UC Berkeley, graduating with a second masters in Public Health. He had committed to me that he would change the healthcare system in this country for the better. He got recruited by McKensey & Company, the world’s leading management consulting firm, first working in Brussels and currently he resides and works in New York City. He is now a Hwa Rang Do 1st Dan Black Sash and one of my most loyal pupil, William Wright.

I received a disturbing call couple of weeks ago. It was unexpected and I thought it was about converting our organization to a non-profit, which he is heading. But, it was not. He started to mumble in a feeble voice, which I barely understood. So, I shouted, “What is it? Speak up!” and in my grand self I added “are you man or mouse.” I have never heard him speak this way. He was always so confidant, self-assured, and always positive.
He replied, “How do you do it sir?”

I said, “Do what?”

“How do you do it? How do you day in / day out, stick to your beliefs? How do you…

I stopped him. I did not need to hear more. He was growing up. His innocence is challenged and perceived by others as being naive. He is disillusioned on how his colleagues, supposedly with high intellect from the finest educational institutions in the world, perform their jobs with such inefficiencies, waste and without ethics. And, how his bosses stifle his ability rather than challenging him to outperform. He is lonely, his friendships were not as deep and meaningful; they are superficial at best. It broke my heart to hear him sound defeated.

As I have said many times, “Teaching is Parenting and parenting is teaching.” And that our parenting never stops. At first, it made me sad, that my child, my student was in pain. I wished it was me in his shoes instead, but that was quickly overruled by my desire to offer him strength and empower him.

During Andrea’s graduation they had a keynote speaker who was nice and made some good points, but to tell you the truth, it left me confused. To summarize I think he delivered a message that goes something like this – strive for your dreams and when you can’t achieve them, don’t’ worry because you’re better off for trying and that it’s ok to be a flea as many fleas can do big things.

So this speech is for my Hwa Rang Do daughter as she takes flight for the first time alone, I wanted to send her off with powerful winds under her wings so that she may soar to reach her final destination, however long and treacherous it may be.

I told my beloved Will and now to Andrea: You must find your passion.

It says in the World English dictionary that the definition of passion is:
1. ardent love or affection
2. intense (sexual) love
3. a strong affection or enthusiasm for an object, concept, etc
4. any strongly felt emotion, such as love, hate, envy
5. a state or outburst of extreme anger
6. the object of an intense desire, ardent affection, or enthusiasm
7. an outburst expressing intense emotion
8. philosophy
a. any state of the mind in which it is affected by something external, such as perception, desire, etc, as contrasted with action
b. feelings, desires or emotions, as contrasted with reason
9. the sufferings and death of a Christian martyr

Yes, to all the above except for #9. Yes I have done them all.

You must discover what you are passionate about and create a cause higher than yourself. “No Will, not about healthcare. Are you that passionate about healthcare? Will you sacrifice your life for healthcare? What are you truly meaning?”

“That’s right! Helping others, making the world a better place to live for everyone by instilling what is just, fair and good. You can die for that can’t you?” I asked.

“Yes sir!” He replied.

Healthcare is the means, the focus in which you will improve humanity, but your passion must be the intense love of humanity.

So I say, choose carefully in what your passion is then never relent, never listen to others, never give up! You are being forced or asked, coerced in compromising your principles. And why would you compromise? You want to win their favor, you want to be liked, accepted. You want to belong. This is quite natural, but this is why you are losing yourself as you are starting to sell off piece by piece your foundation and now you are standing and shaky ground.

I went on to say, “Don’t be afraid to lose everything. Don’t worry about losing your job, your girl friend, your friends, disappointing me, your parents, don’t worry! Stand your ground, stand by your principles and your beliefs and those who love you will understand you. Our fear of loss cannot be the basis of our decisions; it must be for only one thing, what is right, what is noble. Do no accept the status quo, be exceptional!”

As I was telling him all this, so too I was saying it to myself. These words are automatic for me. They come out without having to think about it. It is my core, it is my foundation. My students have unknowingly inspired and motivated me. As Randy Pausch has said, “It’s the indirect lessons we learn the most from.”

Well, my students have taught me an indirect lesson to persevere, to fight on!

No matter if there is a god or not. No matter if the world will end or not. No matter live or die. No matter rich or poor. We must persevere! We must fight onward! For we are Hwarang, flowering knights to beautify and empower the world.

So Will, Andrea, we have each other, we have our family. You are not alone! Together we must encourage each other and others to greatness and never shall we accept mediocrity.

Dream and dream big, then be relentless and never compromise in your principles. Don’t be afraid to be alone, for you are supported by 59 generations of warriors.

Hwarang Forever my beloved students – sons and daughters.

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

Just got this email today, 5/31/16, and thought we would share:

Grand Master Tae Joon Lee, It is with my most respect and humility that i find myself writing to thank you for undulating the societal covers that have for many years hindered my life’s perception. Reading the above dedication brought tears to my eyes as i was replacing Andrea with my own son and feeling the emotions you described.

My son Michael will be turning 7yrs old this July and because he has been excelling scholastically will be skipping second grade. He is currently an Orange Belt in TaeSooDo in the Norwalk Dojang. My wife is a 3 year Breast Cancer survivor who 4 months ago also enrolled and is also a TSD Orange Belt. I am a 38 year old Mexico born and raised until the age of 8yrs. My father and I were enrolled in Tae Kwon Do during the mid 80’s when it was extremely popular. I don’t remember much about that time, however, i do remember that the training was hard and not made easy just because i was a kid. I remember seeing and practicing based on magazines where Supreme Grand Master Do Joo Nim would appear.

My family migrated to the United States of America and with that transition my martial arts training ended. Been alone and unguided due to my father constantly working to provide for my mother and 3 younger sisters, I felt the need to belong, but where would I go, if I do not know anybody and i’m still a kid. School was the only place I had to socialize, however, without a strong foundation, it is easy for a kid to mold to what is easiest and not always best.

Meeting my wife and having our son has made me mature in a way that I never thought I would. I have stopped bad habits that damaged my body and mind. I was searching for something greater and 5 months ago I found it. It started with the enrollment of my Son, then one month later the enrollment of my wife, and finally, I will be enrolling in TSD this week. I am greatful to have found Hwarangdo yet again, and this time with a strong Foundation and Believes, My Family and I should one day make you proud of been Hwarangs.

You are an Inspiration to me.
Thank you Very Much.
Salvador Tinajero Lugo.

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee End of 2010 Message

Posted on December 30, 2010April 20, 2021 by taejoonlee

There is much to be thankful this past year, as we have successfully celebrated our Golden Anniversary and accomplished the goals we have set for ourselves. The uniformity and standardization of art has given clear identity to our group, empowering all of us with pride and unity. Our Internet presence is stronger than ever through our sophisticated Internet development and marketing. Our sport venue is unrivaled as it is the only decathlon of martial arts tournaments, which covers all areas of competition – forms, weapon forms, stand-up kick/punch/throw fighting, submission fighting, and weapon fighting. As a collective, we are growing stronger, bigger, and better everyday as witnessed at our 50th Anniversary Events this year.

I should be very thankful and happy this year, as my father, our founder has been honored as the Man of the Year 2010 by Black Belt Publications and there’s much momentum for Hwa Rang Do to really shine in the public’s eye in the upcoming years. However, I cannot deny this slight aching in my gut, the perpetual feeling as though I am standing on thin ice, the uneasiness brought on by mistrust of our financial institutions and our government, and a sense of frustration and anger, which comes from feeling powerless knowing that only one percent our nations population possesses the majority of our nations wealth, not to mention the fear for our future generations as our planet is in jeopardy. I had never thought I would live through and witness the decline of our civilization. These are only things we read about in history books.

fallofrome — The Fall of the Roman Empire

Although I am excited and happy about our accomplishments, how can I rest at ease knowing that our world, our nation, our people are doomed to repeat our mistakes all over again. With all the advancement in technology, it has made our lives easier or at least at face value. However, in reality it has made it easier for us to be distracted and influenced by those who have the finances and the power to do so. We are connected in everyway, all day, at home, office, or mobile. Yet, with all these means of better communication and access to so much information, our family unity and the sense of community are on the decline. People are becoming more and more hedonistic, self-centered, amoral and eager to consume whatever they can as quickly as they can.

In truth the advances in technology and globalization has sped up the decline of our civilization and we are falling exponentially. Our generation is living through one of the most profound moments in history as we are witnessing how the ideals of socio-economic and political models of the modern era are being played out as well as the potential destruction of our precious environment. Communism has fallen to democracy as only a handful of countries still remain; capitalism is prevailing over socialism or so it seems. However, unspeakable, unimaginable events have taken place. Who would have ever thought that communist states would adopt forms of capitalism as their economic model and democratic states socializing some components of their economy? Furthermore, how does the beacon of democracy turn into a militant state and more importantly, with its peoples’ support? And, how does a communist nation become an economic powerhouse, producing most of the world’s goods. Even more troubling, how do we allow an enemy vessel to come within 35 miles of our coast to launch a intercontinental ballistic missile without being detected? And, just even on the most fundamental domestic level, if we have made so many advances in our society, then why are there so many homeless people among us? When I was young, I had to search out the homeless like hunting for a dinosaur. They were rare to find and dwelled only in Downtown.

There are so many more issues domestic and abroad that I can discuss, but I want to spend more time on the solution. I have spent much time contemplating on this – how can we change so that these things never take place. By lifting the veil of secrecy and isolation through improved globalized communication and for such things as Wikileaks, it has brought the world together. None of the socio-economic and political theories exist in its pure form today. Much like the martial arts where the most popular these days are MMA or mixed martial arts, which a few decades ago would have been taboo, nations are combining and mix-matching different socio-economic and political theories to use what works best in combination for their needs. So, we can at least thank technology for this.

From assessing what is happening in our economy today, I think we can say that ultimately in any economic theory, it will always end up with the very rich and the very poor. We are currently draining our middle class and the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer. We just don’t know it because our standard of living is higher than other third-world nations, but proportionally the disparity of the rich from the poor is the same if not greater than any other third-world nation. The only difference between socialism combined with communism and capitalism combined with democracy is that with communism the rich is dictated by the government and in democracy it’s up to the people, but the end result is the same – only the few with the most.

I went on to contemplate if there were any way to separate money with power and influence. There’s is a notion to separate the government completely not only from religion, but also in commerce so to prevent government interference which might favor one person, one company over another. Although, we have separated religion and state in theory, our nation is still ruled by Christians as politicians rally to gain the public’s votes and since the majority of Americans are Christians, so are all our politicians. Therefore, this notion of complete separation of government from commerce is speculative at best.

As a Hwarang and an Umyangian, we believe in balance and that not one thing will work always. It is knowing and understanding all opposing views and ideas to arrive at a balance and only then can we become harmonious with others and nature. It seems today that wars are no longer fought for political views, but rather as always for economics and archaic as it is, for religion. You can’t mix religion because of it dogmatic nature. How paradoxical that the very thing that professes peace is the thing, which is the root of so many deaths, bloodshed, and war.

There seems to be no answer in the external world. The only thing that I can come close to as a solution is looking inward. It is hardest to change our human nature. I know, I have been trying for over 30 years. However, without change we cannot advance. Even with so much advances in all areas of technologies, academics, and reformations, we still cling on to old dogma. It seems the only way to change the human condition is to change the human being. We must change our nature of greed, hatred, and power and come to realize that we are all in this together. That humanity is only as strong as its weakest human being. We must do as the great Mahatma Ghandi had said – You must be the change you want to see in the world.

We must collectively elevate our human nature, our human consciousness. That is the next step in our human evolution, advancing not only of the physical and mental, but more so of our spirit and consciousness. Put aside our differences and understand the power of ONE. We must value what’s noble over what’s pleasurable and selfish. We must as individuals and as a global community once again teach and relearn for ourselves that our value, self-worth, comes from the measure of our service to others rather than size of our bank account.

This is why I am so excited and happy to announce that we, the World Hwa Rang Do Association, is converting to a non-profit organization with the aim of becoming a humanitarian organization to empower the world one person at a time through the martial, intellectual, spiritual discipline of Hwa Rang Do. We are putting our money where our mouth is and committing even stronger to fulfill our goal of becoming a flowering human, and with continued efforts to one day become a flowering humankind.

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

Year of the Tiger – Grandmaster Taejoon Lee’s New Year’s Message

Posted on January 29, 2010April 20, 2021 by taejoonlee

Hope everyone had a nice holiday break, rekindling familial bonds and sharing the joys of love and friendship.

For those of you who followed my 2009, Year of the Ox, New Year’s Message of hard work indicative of the ox, you should now be in good shape to spring into action. Just working hard at planning and developing does not guarantee success; you must set it in motion, put into action!

2010 is the Year of the Tiger. It’s the year of being courageous, bold, and taking initiative. It’s all about implementation and taking risks. If you have done the right work in the year of the OX, then your risk will be far less. Nevertheless, there’s always risk and one should not fear it.

It is this that I would like to address, the fear of taking risks. This is what dictionary.com says about “risk”.

risk – noun
1. exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance: It’s not worth the risk.

So the fear of taking risk is then the fear of injury or loss. Life is about decisions and most of our decisions are based on assessing the risk. This is where as a martial artist or better yet; as a modern warrior we have the advantage or at least we should. Essentially in our training we address these two most fundamental fears, the fear of injury and the fear of loss.

In sparring or fighting – you cannot expect to strike without being struck, inflict pain without receiving pain, and win without losing. And even more so for us Hwarangdoists, before a student can apply joint-manipulation techniques on a person, the instructor first applies the techniques on him/her so that they can feel the pain first before they can perform the techniques on anyone else.

As I have said many times before, it’s the imagination that fuels the fear. So the greater your imagination, the more fantastic your fears become. The foot soldiers on the frontlines do not need to think as much as take action; too much thinking delays action and intensifies the fears. The generals/commanders require less physical action, but more strategic planning. The goal for Hwarangdoists is to always strive for balance and this also applies here.

We must be both educated intellectuals as well as possess heightened physical attributes in all areas. Thought without action is worthless and action without thought is perilous.

We perform magic or miracles daily. We create a conception in our minds from nothingness, the invisible and then through our actions we materialize our thoughts into tangible/physical reality. Of course this does not happen at the waive of a wizard’s magic wand, but in essence that’s what we are doing, creating something from nothing, from thought to reality. And, action is the bridge from the immaterial to the material.

Hence, whatever we can create in our minds, then we should be able to create in reality. So, all we have to do is to choose and then commit to the action until it comes to fruition. All great things in the world came from one person’s mind, who put the thought out into the universe and sparked the imagination of the collective humankind.

So, then why are so many people lost and unhappy?

For me the answer is simple: we are enslaved by our fears, which forces us to focus on the risk rather than the reward. And, with the added element of “human inertia” which makes us seek for complacency and apathy disguised as comfort, we dwell in thought and become idle in action. And to make things worse, we are constantly bombarded with distractions by the media & technology, taking away the time for introspection and enhancing the illusion of happiness.

Therefore, the first thing is to take the time to know ‘thyself’: Who am I? What do I want and just as important what do I don’t want? What do I need? What do I want to do with my life? Then, the second thing one must do, which for most people is the hardest thing and the reason for abandoning their quest for what they want – taking action!

After investing much time into discovering the ‘self’, now one must put it into action. Although, it’s clear in our minds, the work, the struggle, and the hardships, which one must endure in order to make something a reality overwhelms and deters any normal persons’ decision to stay committed to their quest. Therefore, the next vital component is to cultivate courage, the hardest to procure.

Any person can be courageous, but in order to cultivate it, one must fertilize it with strength. This strength is not of the body or the mind alone, but it must be of mind, body, heart, and spirit.

Strength is not only about what more one has – more muscle, more money, more knowledge; it’s also about tolerance, endurance, patience, compassion, and wisdom. And all these attributes are gained empirically, so it can be taught and more importantly self-taught. They are learned by challenging oneself to accomplish difficult tasks: whether it be attending the strictest of schools, doing something no one or only a few have ever done, daring to go places where no one has been, striving for perfection. And through their struggles, their pains, their sufferings, they emerge stronger and more courageous. As I always say to my students, “One cannot build a fortress out of marshmallows,” then you cannot build a stronger you without hardship.

Then, as warriors we should not be afraid of the pain, the hardship as we face these in every training session, every class, daily. We know that the fear imagined is far worse then what is real. We were all afraid the first time we engaged in sparring, but after we have done it, we scoff at it like it was nothing. It’s the worrying that kills, not the problem.

We also know that you cannot inflict pain without knowing pain yourself. Then, we should not be afraid as we also realize that we can be much more tolerant to pain once imagination is out of the equation.

Furthermore, we also know that although we may lose today, that with practice that we can win tomorrow. We know of personal sacrifice and that you cannot gain if do not give up and that the only true loss or failure is in quitting.

We do not live life to die; we do not engage in competition to lose; we do not fight to get beat up: so, why should one be afraid to choose one’s life path and to live the way one wants. Don’t fixate on the bills, go out and make more money. Don’t worry about losing your mate, get up and stay in shape and invest in your betterment. Don’t be afraid to start your business venture, go out and learn more and educate yourself. Don’t ask if something is easy to do, get stronger and better at it. Don’t ask if you can, ask what you’re willing to give up.

In the end we will lose everything anyway!

Let us roar like a Tiger in 2010!

Hwarang Forever with Strength, Honor, & Courage!

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

Warrior’s Path – Unafraid of Change

Posted on October 7, 2009April 20, 2021 by taejoonlee

Unafraid of Change

As many of you are aware, we have made some changes to our programs and curriculum here at the West Coast Hwa Rang Do Academy. For over 10 years, we have maintained the same programs, curriculums, pricing and methods of instruction. It has worked well for us, but I felt that it was time for change. There is an interesting phenomenon that takes place in human behavior. By our nature, we seek out comfort and when we find it, we want to dig a large hole and immerse ourselves in that state of comfort forever. This is surely death.

Why? What is comfort? It is the sense of security and a peace of mind we gain knowing with certainty what we are going to do tomorrow. By limiting the uncertainties of our daily lives, we reduce the stress and anxiety derived from the unknown. This fear of the unknown is an incredible force that shapes and molds our decisions on a daily basis. So comfort is a good thing, but “too much comfort” is not so good. If it is such a good thing, then comfort should make us better, happier, and more productive, but it does none of these. Being too comfortable makes us complacent, lazy, careless, unhealthy, and the happiness we gain from comfort is only temporary at best. As warriors, this is unacceptable. We must always strive for betterment in all areas of our lives and constantly push our boundaries and limitations. A warrior must work constantly to maintain sharpness and focus, to always be prepared for the worst. When you get comfortable with your abilities, you become overconfident and careless, resulting in defeat. This is why we constantly drive home the idea, “Never underestimate your opponent.” This is not limited to your sparring partner, but applies to any task in life. Whether we have done something a thousand times, if we do it the thousandth-first time without being mindful, it will result in a mistake or failure. For a warrior that could mean death. It is this “warrior’s spirit,” that we are trying to teach and preserve – to always strive for excellence, to be unafraid of challenges in our lives, to persist when other’s have lost hope, to always seek for betterment, and to always do what is “right,” not for reward sake, but purely because it is the right thing to do.

This “Warrior’s Path” is eloquently portrayed in the recent movie “Batman Begins” when the father of the young Bruce Wayne asks his son, “Why do we fall Bruce?”

And Bruce replies, “So, we can get up.”

With Love

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

No Excuses!

Posted on October 7, 2009April 20, 2021 by taejoonlee

Please do not disregard. No matter what, please bear it and read to the end.

Supreme Grandmaster Dr. Joo Bang Lee delivering a flying spin kick from squatting position over 10ft. in the air (1965 Seoul, Korea)

When I first opened our school in 1994, we gave the choice of choosing Tae Soo Do or Hwa Rang Do to the students. Of course they all chose, Hwa Rang Do even after they were told that it was more expensive and it was harder. And, most of them never achieved Hwa Rang Do Black Sash. I think there was only a couple.

Before Tae Soo Do, the 60s through the 80s, a 5 year old student had to start as a Hwa Rang Do white sash and had to learn 8 basics, a long form, 30 three-step sparring techniques, 2 kicking tests, and had to memorize the entire Hwa Rang Do Mengsae which included the Nine Doctrines. They did all this for their Orange Sash test in 4 to 6 months. Compared to now, a 5 year old student only learns 4 basics, only one of the Hwa Rang Do Mengsae and it takes them on the average 3 to 4 months.

We now have two programs: Basic Training where one learns only striking techniques with no weaponry and grappling and Warrior’s Path which includes everything – striking, weaponry, grappling. We have no students in Basic Training.

Before our school, we used to have only two classes – one for juniors and one for adults, 6 days a week. The students came as many days as they can, averaging at least 3 to 4 days per week. Now, even with a mandatory attendance of 2 days per week, less than 50% of our student body meets the 8 classes per month requirement.

What has changed? Did people get dumber? Is global warming frying our brains? Did people get more lazy? Did time speed up and so we have less time?

Are there too many distractions? Absolutely…

I have been observing people and their pattern of living for the last 30 years. What I have learned about human behavior is through my students and the lessons are many. The countless excuses and explanations of why they can’t do this or do that from literally thousands of students for the last 30 years have made me sort of an expert on the subject.

And this is what I have learned about excuses:

Everyone has one and they all stink. (There’s a military version of this.)
They all think theirs is original.
They all think the other person doesn’t understand.
They all say, “I don’t want sympathy, but …”
They don’t realize that they are wasting the other person’s time.
It’s a waste of time to listen to other people’s excuses because there’s nothing of value.
One shouldn’t hang around with people full of excuses, because it’s contagious.
There is no such thing as a valid excuse because in the end the validation is not given by the listener, but must be validated by the self, which of course no self in their right mind would validate; hence the need for the listener.
Making an excuse to avoid consequences or trying to make yourself out to look good is not the same as explanation. Explanations are given to inform and to improve in the hopes of changing one’s situation as to not repeat the same offence.
Giving an excuse is not an apology. An apology starts with I am sorry. An excuse starts with, but or because.
An excuse does not waive one’s responsibilities. Because you missed a class does not waive your responsibility to know what was taught in that class.
Time does not repeat, so if you missed something, you must make it up in a timely manner.
In the end, the people with the most excuses only hurt themselves and have lost the most valuable commodity in the universe, TIME.

Yes this might seem a little harsh, but why think of it any other way. If at the end of reading the bullet points, if you were able to refute or think that there’s something to refute because surely there are good excuses, then you’re not in the right frame of mind. Of course there are always exceptions, but why waste time thinking about them, especially when it’s not going help you in a positive light.

Oh and what about medical excuse. Surely that’s a valid excuse. If you think this, then your mind is still in high school. How many times did you make yourself feel sick to convince your mom so that you can stay home, which didn’t help you in the long run? You are your own judge and you must self-regulate. You know when you are too sick or too injured to perform and restrain yourself from training because you are so eager to get on the mat, right? Doctors are not gods. They are not always right and they have to be concerned about malpractice suits. Sure, with a broken arm in a cast you can’t do things with your one arm, but you still got one good arm and two legs. Yes, I have been injured. I was bed ridden for a week after a 50 foot fall onto my neighbor’s concrete driveway and three weeks later, I made my first film. There was no way that I was not going to do it. What I did was nothing; be like Prof. Randy Pausch or Lance Armstrong.

Point being, yes there are medical situations that limits us, but we can always find a way if we really want it. That’s the key – how much do we want it! That’s always been the key, the secret, or whatever other fanciful word you want to use. The key to unlocking life’s treasure chest is first, knowing what you want and more importantly, never relenting in its pursuit.

Please realize that time is finite for us, human beings, as we will all certainly die. The only question is when and how. We have no control of ‘when’ without being damned and/or cowardly, so definitely not a choice as a warrior. However, we can control ‘how’ by focusing on how we will be remembered.

This is my mission, my passion to help others reach their full potential and get the most out of life.

And, even if you disagree with everything thus far (which I don’t see how, but I am sure one can find a way), you must agree that nothing is accomplished by thinking about it. It’s only through action that anything is achieved. Not just action, but 100% commitment to the action without reservation. One foot in and one foot out will get you exactly that, one shoe or a pair of mismatching shoes.

There is so much I want to say and soon I shall, in the way of a book on life as a warrior is the 21^st century. But for now, I want to get back to what I originally wanted to tell you.

Everyone has an ego and that ego always tells them that they can do more, be more, and just more of everything. So, they come to us to do more, to do everything, to participate in one of the most demanding martial art programs in the world to be comprehensive, all around, balanced, complete. However, soon after they start training, they realize that its hard work and the romantic superhero created by the mind soon diminish as doubt sets in. Often it’s not even doubt, but one regresses to infancy and just plainly says to the self, “I don’t like it. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like it.” How can they even know that they like or dislike when they have nothing to compare it to? And, wasn’t it trying out something new the motivation for starting in the first place? When doubt sets in, it’s all over. The mind’s imagination takes over and gives credence to the doubt and sugarcoats the idea of quitting.

“No, it’s not quitting” and with that, the gun fires and excuses start racing to see which excuse appeases the ego most. Please understand that I know this best from self-reflection. We are all in it together and together we must support what is true and strong and fight against what is delusional and weak.

This last Saturday’s New Year’s Bootcamp is a perfect example. Less than 50% of our students participated in what was a mandatory event. I am sure many who were present were anxious and frightful of what was to come as I and the Instructors have fed their imagination throughout the entire week.

“Oh you’re all gonna die,” I said with a smile. “Hope you guys can make it through without getting sick.” “I am jump start you for the entire year!” etc., etc.

With that we started the class. The class of about 50 students went through everything I could muster. It was reminiscent of my college years when we conducted a week long hell week, which was later renamed T&T week for Trials & Tribulations.

This is what they had to do:

100 punches/shuffling
100 punches/shuffling with 100 climbs in push up position
1000 punches, 200 blocks, 100 punch/block combo all in horse stance
Approximately 1000 kicks all together
Punching, parrying, trapping 1000 times
20 duck/under pickups on each side
400 sped kicks
Partner training: leg presses, multiple one leg kicking, speed knees and jumps, ducking, side falls
20 forward hip movement drill, forward hip slide several time across the mat, rear hip slides
And, 100 group sit-ups… (this is all I can remember at the moment)

We did all this is 2 hours. Although there were about half dozen people who had to frequent the restroom, everybody made it through. Come on, when in your wildest dreams did you ever think that you can do all that? You can absolutely do more, just like your ego says, but instead of just thinking it, I am here to help you achieve it and when you finally do, there will be no need for the ego.

So, this is my challenge to you for the New Year and evermore. Don’t think you’re strong – be strong, don’t think you’re intelligent – be intelligent, don’t think you’re not lazy – get busy, don’t think you’re doing enough – do more, don’t get humiliated – be humble, think less and do more. Remember the more you do the more you want to do; the less you do the less you want to do.

We have all the classes you need, to be what you wanted to be when you first started. So, let’s get busy.

Fighting Fit: Tu & Th 8:15pm ~ 9pm – This class is open to everyone, juniors and adults, and to the general public. So, you can drag your spouse, your mom or dad, your friends anytime without joining the full program. This is a great addition to your training to gain greater knowledge in striking full contact, build greater stamina and strength.

Gumtoogi: Sat 11:30am ~ 1pm – This class is a must for all Hwa Rang Do Students and Tae Soo Do Brown Belts. However, any student can participate with permission. Also, this class is open to the general public. In this class you will learn all sorts of weapon fighting with the foundation of Hwarang sword fencing. Important Note: I must reiterate that this is mandatory for all HRD students. If you have not yet done so, start now. The HRD students who do not participate will force me to take action of negative consequences.

Friday Fight Night – All of you should be practicing at home, but for additional training with supervision you can’t pass up Fight Night. First of all, it’s a great way to form friendships with your student body as it is an informal setting where everyone is helping out each other. And, it’s the closest thing you’ll get to a private lesson without paying for it as it is supervised by Senior Instructors.

So, if you’re up to the challenge and follow my advice, you will achieve great things in 2009, but most importantly you will be better.

That’s the best gift I can give you.

With love, Hwarang Forever!

Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

Official Site of Grandmaster Taejoon Lee

Category: Success