Even though it sounds like a cliché, the person who does karate needs to serve as an example in any regard. Because karate is moral, karate is discipline, karate is respect and love.
Developed as a self-defence and survival system in the difficult times of violence and invaders, it transformed itself in time as a way of life and system for the physical and psychological perfection of the person.
Unfortunately during the time of development of karate, not everything was without problems. This is also related not only to the developed countries where karate was introduced during the 1960s but also for those countries where it was legalised after the democratic changes during the ’90s of the twentieth century.
In many of those countries, even until this day, democracy is changed with a totalitarian understanding and dogmatism with regards to the martial arts and sports. From here the schism and conservatism are along those lines. This brought the devaluing of the ideas of the martial arts and the weakening of influence towards the education and motivation for harmonic development and self-discipline of those practitioners. It is not a secret for anyone, that many of our colleges chose the way of easy fame and profit and went on the “other” – destructive side, as they turned their backs on the main principles of karate and its morals. This, in some cases, brought a bad image and a stain, and from there even a reflux from the rows of the people that do karate and martial arts.
The new age we live in is a time of changes and challenges. We, the martial arts teachers, following the way of Budo, need to give our contribution towards the education of the young people and people that do martial arts in the spirit of the family values, traditions and morals.
Let us respect and honour our colleges’ martial artists around the world and live in harmony and peace amongst us.
Only like this, the large karate family can walk the hard and honourable way of the martial arts during the new 21st century.
Sensei George Venkov 2013.