Meditation of the Week: Attitude 7

Always listen to and follow the directions of instructors or seniors.

  This week’s meditation on the 7th attitude is an application of the tenets Respect and Obedience and Humility. We follow the instructions of instructors and seniors because they are responsible for keeping students safe during training. Additionally, the instructor’s goal is to impart Tang Soo Do knowledge and culture to the student. Even if you have prior training in another martial art, your humility and respect should help you recognize Tang Soo Do’s unique qualities.

  Inherent to this attitude is the cultural practice of honoring elders. Parents are our first elders and teachers. They teach us everything from how to walk to how to love, from how to admit responsibility to how to forgive. They are the most unacknowledged yet most dependable mentors we have. It is important to take care of your parents, especially as they age and their need for physical help grows. 

  There is also a theme that runs through the Bible instructing us to honor our elders, with warnings of the consequences of failing to do so. In Nehemiah 9:16, Nehemiah is explaining why the nation of Israel was under the thumb of Assyria and Babylon. He tells them, “our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey [God’s] commandments.” And in the New Testament, Paul instructs Timothy in the care and esteem of elders within the church: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” 

  The role of the elder is not simply limited to our parents and church leaders, but can also include our elected officials. Paul tells us here to let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” May we learn the lesson Nehemiah taught the ancient Israelites so that we may avoid similar discipline.