Article by Grand Master Yung Ho Jun

The martial art known as Tae Kwon Do originated in

Korea

and dates back more than 20 centuries from its inception, initially as a means of self-defense.

A long time ago there was no organized society. There was no personal safety. There was only rule by power. Daily existence was a life ordeal struggle. At that time certain people whom we now call ancient martial artists decided to dedicate their lives by helping others with their knowledge. This was and still is the main basic philosophy of Tae Kwon Do - helping others.

In addition to knowledge, the ancient martial artists have passed on their spirit and their pride.

This philosophy of helping others which is central to Tae Kwon Do has been passed down from instructor to student for more than 20 centuries. During all this time the martial art of Tae Kwon Do has experienced many changes of country, politics, and culture, but, the basic principle of helping others has not changed. Indeed, it has never been lost. The traditional philosophy of Tae Kwon Do remains central to the art.

Closer examination of this principle of helping others leads to a unique discovery by the ancient martial artists many centuries ago. Before you can help others, you first must help yourself. That is, if a person cannot first protect himself, he cannot protect others. Our ancient martial artists established this philosophy and disciplined themselves both physically and mentally so that they could help others. This desire to achieve perfection within themselves, we call the right path.

Of course, following the right path is not always easy. The ancient martial artists spent all their lives pursuing this discipline. Today’s traditional martial artist follows in the footsteps of the ancient martial artists - a path of physical and mental discipline. By doing so, we not only enrich our lives, but leave a tradition, a good path for future generations to follow. This then, is the meaning of traditional Tae Kwon Do.

Most people would agree that in our highly developed, fast-paced, scientifically oriented civilization, we as human beings have lost touch with our humanity. The traditional Tae Kwon Do philosophy of helping others is now more important than ever.

In order for a person to develop properly, they must receive an education in the following three areas: Family, school and social education. Of the three, the most important is family education. The latest research from respected sources indicates that more re than 85% of human man development is affected by family education. One could conclude that proper family education is the basic framework upon which all other human development takes place.

Much of today’s social problems and aberrant behavior can be traced to a lack of proper family education. Often, poor family education results where families are broken or parents are too busy to attend to their children. Then, in order to make up for this deficiency, we look to school or social education for proper human development. However, those who have knowledge, but no family education, may, in many cases, be worse than those who have no education at all.

Traditional Tae Kwon Do education is actually a family education. It was developed like a family. There are the similarities in relationships such as instructor and student to parent and child; student and student to brother and sister. Each takes care of the other with their lives.

Some may think that this kind of Tae Kwon Do philosophy cannot have much meaning to today’s society because much has changed from past generations. Many things change, our living styles for example, but not our principles. Some people believe Tae Kwon Do cannot adapt to modern society. This could not be further from the truth.

At this time our traditional Tae Kwon Do education is more important than at any other time. Through Tae Kwon Do education we must make a strong base upon which we can add additional education and skills so that each and every person may develop properly and be a success in society and in life. Traditional Tae Kwon Do education, like family education, is the foundation upon which we, as human beings, may rely upon in order to establish the correct path upon which future generations should follow.