Last Saturday we had a test and graduation for students at our martial arts school. Children as young as 4 all the way to adults displayed their physical fitness, coordination and all the hard work they've put into their training over the last 3 to 4 months. During the test we had a discussion of leadership and role models.
When asked who was a good role model or hero several of the younger children became excited and exclaimed; "Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, Spiderman, Ben Ten," etc. So we talked about what makes those characters heroes. After a bit of a discussion we started to realize that it wasn't their super powered kicks and punches, or laser blasts from their eyes that made them heroes. What it came down to was that these characters all choose to use their super powers to help other people. They faced villains and enemies even though they were afraid. What we started to learn was that these superheros faced their problems head on and helped people in the process. They were role models teaching us that we can live the same way. Although we can't have the amazing superpowers of leaping tall buildings or lifting 10 tons we can be Super-humans. I could see a since of excitement and empowerment growing. "You mean little 7 year old me could become a Super-human? I could be in the same league as my favorite characters?"
Super-humans are real life people living their lives for others and facing invisible enemies like boredom, laziness, apathy, jealousy, arrogance, and anger with the same determination found in our larger than life comic book heroes. We spoke of real life people like Mother Teressa, Doctors without borders, and people that raise money for those in need. I could see that the kids were excited by the prospect of being a Super-human, of living one's life to it's fullest potential by breaking free of unhealthy life style choices and choosing to help others rather than just seeking constant distraction through personal entertainment. "We will become Ninjas of Kindness," we declared. Through random acts of kindness we will strike from the shadows to help those in need all around us.
Starting with our families we will leap into action and help with the clean up and maintenance of our homes, rescue our friends from sadness with kind words and encouragement and face the enemies of slackatiude, sloth, and apathy. We are on a mission to become warriors of peace and will commit ourselves to performing 1,000 acts of random kindness this year. We will record these in a journal to chart our progress toward becoming Super-humans! In so doing we will reach out to others in our community, in our schools and neighborhoods.
We want to foster an awareness in these super-kids that even though you don't always realize it, there are people out there watching you, being inspired by you, and being influenced by your choices, actions, and words. There is great power in this awareness.
Our martial arts practice lends itself to personal discovery, new challenges and a sense of self-worth far beyond passing level 10 on the latest video game. Students training in martial arts will become stronger, faster, more coordinated, they will have improved mental abilities including focus, and concentration, they will be able to kick, punch, cartwheel, and roll, they will learn to defend themselves against bullies as well as defeat, discouragement, and feelings of inadequacy. They will become more powerful but as we've learned from one of my favorite comic book heroes, Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility."
