martial artist and society

[UnKnownsenSei]

there are many men and women who consider themselves important assets to their community. these individuals equate their worth with the kind of occupatient they have. some people who are policemen say things like " i help the community everyday by keeping the law and order." this is true and i respect policemen.

wat do you think about the title of martial arts instructor? Is a martial arts instructor as important as a policeman, lawyer, school teacher, etc?

how would th world be without instructors of martial arts, how wwould your life be different?

[Lupin1]

Well, I guess it depends on the instructor. People who run McDojos and are just in it for the money aren't usually people I look up to, although I'm sure children can and do grow and learn in those schools. Then there are those instructors who change lives. I learned a lot from my instructor and he influenced my life for the better. He loves his art so much he teaches it for free and he does a darn fine job of it. He's one of those teachers I had that encouraged me to become a teacher. Are they just as important as policemen and school teachers, well, that depends on your view of the world. Not to offend anyone, but I think the world would survive the catastrophe a lot better if all the martial arts instructors disappeared tommorow than if all the policemen disappeared. But then, the martial arts are one of those things that give life more flavor, so, while life would go on, it certainly would be horrible for those people who love the martial arts (although I'm sure they'd continue to train on their own and we'd still get some awesome martial artists creating thier own styles without an instructor).

Interesting question.

[KarateGeorge]

Personally, I think it comes down to the individual and really has very little to do with their occupation, though certain occupations tend to attract specific kinds of people who may be more likely to bring either honor or shame to their communities. Like in your example, as a general rule, I highly respect police officers. However, there are some police officers that give a bad name to their profession. It's like that in any occupation...there are some people who do their job honorably and there are some who bring dishonor to their jobs.

Though, I think a martial arts instructor CAN be an asset to their community, I don't think that it means they necessarily WILL be an asset to their community. Ultimately, it depends how the instructor relates to the community in which he is involved.

[sensei8]

wat do you think about the title of martial arts instructor?

It's just a title, yet, it's one I'm proud of.

Is a martial arts instructor as important as a policeman, lawyer, school teacher, etc?

NO! It's a want, not a need. I want to be a martial arts instructor, but, I don't need to be a martial arts instructor.

how would th world be without instructors of martial arts, how wwould your life be different?

It, the world, would be just fine. People don't need the martial arts, therefore, they don't need martial arts instructors. To just mention a few, people need a job, people need utilities, people need food, people need a home, and people need medication; but people don't need the martial arts.

[Blade96]

there are many men and women who consider themselves important assets to their community. these individuals equate their worth with the kind of occupatient they have. some people who are policemen say things like " i help the community everyday by keeping the law and order." this is true and i respect policemen.

wat do you think about the title of martial arts instructor? Is a martial arts instructor as important as a policeman, lawyer, school teacher, etc?

how would th world be without instructors of martial arts, how wwould your life be different?

I would say absolutely yes! My senseis are my angels. I believe that. Because I would have forever internalized the belief i got from everyone that my brain was the only thing that would get me anywhere in a life and i would never be able to do anything with my body because i was born with a slight balance problem. My senseis were the first ones who truly believed in me. Just the same as any teacher, they can change the course of your life.

[DWx]

wat do you think about the title of martial arts instructor? Is a martial arts instructor as important as a policeman, lawyer, school teacher, etc?

Society would still function without them whereas it probably wouldn't so well without policemen, lawyers and school teachers. So in that respect, no they are nowhere near as important to society. Having martial arts instructors isn't essential whereas having people to maintain the law and to educate are.

On the other hand the importance of a teacher to an individual may be great. I'm sure for most people in the martial arts (and on this forum) have had a teacher impact on them in a positive way and maybe influence their lives. In that respect I would say the teacher is definitely an asset to society. And of course, like George said, a teacher can become important in a community if they are able and choose to. I still wouldn't rate them alongside policemen and the like though. Really a martial arts teacher is just like a soccer coach or whatever, they can be a positive influence but they definitely aren't essential.

[tonydee]

there are many men and women who consider themselves important assets to their community. these individuals equate their worth with the kind of occupatient they have. some people who are policemen say things like " i help the community everyday by keeping the law and order." this is true and i respect policemen.

wat do you think about the title of martial arts instructor? Is a martial arts instructor as important as a policeman, lawyer, school teacher, etc?

how would th world be without instructors of martial arts, how wwould your life be different?

Like the "consider themselves important"... .

I think whatever you do, if you do your best at it, with a motivation to be helpful to and considerate of others, then that's perfect already. Modern society is very complex, and many things have to come together for it to work efficiently. I wouldn't say a painter, singer, philosopher, physicist or martial arts instructor is less useful to society than a policeman, doctor, farmer or plumber. It's because we have enough of the latter than we can advance to an appreciation of the former, and in some senses that's where our "humanity" is cultivated, and our true collective wealth resides, so I wouldn't rank it less important.

Even if you make your money doing something pretty over-the-top indulgent, like selling sports cars, if you pay your taxes then you're still encouraging and stimulating the economy - allowing the rich to enjoy their spoils - which the failure of communism/socialism to deliver good living standards to the general population has proven is a necessary carrot to entice the most able to work harder. It's up to the government to balance that with taxes, minimum wages, benefits etc. so that a net benefit is felt by all....

Still, comparing martial arts with most pastimes, I do feel it has a bit extra to offer - people tend to "grow up" that bit more given a need and tool for dealing with physical conflict situations. But, even if the activity develops a unique blend of skills and abilities in the student, it's definitely not true that the same can't be aggregated from several other activities. For example, dedicated courses in stretching, meditation, asserting yourself in life situations etc. (often better taught than ad-hoc elements in MA training too). In the end, for most people, martial arts aren't qualitatively different from the other aspects of life. Hence, a world without martial arts instructors - or even martial arts - wouldn't ostensibly be much different, though it would be subtly poorer throughout.

Cheers,

Tony