Courtesy: Barry Nauta, As in all Martial Arts, ethics are of great importance. One can look at individual ethics and treat a fellow-man right or one can look at social ethics, as part of a whole. Ethics basically all comes down to one point: the difference between 'good' and 'evil'. We practice Tae Kwon Do, often seen as an aggressive sport, but does this mean that we can be aggressive? Do we want to be aggressive? The answer is no! We wear protection because we don't want someone else to be injured, nor do we want to get hurt ourselves. Tae Kwon Do is not a destructive and aggressive sport but a sportive one. As I see it, taking part in a competition is not to hurt your opponent but to test your strength, in both physical and mental ways. Tae Kwon Do students can improve themselves physically and mentally by training. The final goal is to achieve harmony with nature and oneself. Balance is gained by controlling both evil and good forces (yin vs. yang): a true Tae Kwon Do student knows how to behave in all situations. In my opinion, Tae Kwon Do (and I guess this goes for every martial art) is not only a way to improve skills for self defense, but it's a way of life. Practicing Tae Kwon Do gives the student more self-confidence, but this should not result in a false sense of superiority. http://www.barrel.net/ethics.php
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