Respect and manners

Respect towards others and yourself

I feel are very important. If you are going to train you must have respect for your teacher, your sensei. Even if you may not like a particular instructor, you must give them the respect their position and experience deserves. If someone is successful at school or work they deserve the respect of others, to often however jealousy replaces respect. Parents and children should respect one another, how often have you heard someone say that they hate their mother or father. Yet these are the people who brought them into the world and feed and cloth them. Maybe this is an old fashion way of thinking, but I believe that this kind of thinking is lacking in this day and age. How can you demand respect yourself if you do not show it to others. Respecting other people’s property, another problem of our so called modern society, how much damage is done just for fun.

 

Respecting your body is also important. Take care of it, do not abuse it with the many temptations of today. Drugs, alcohol and smoking are the three biggest problems we have, you cannot respect yourself or your fellow competitor if you take drugs in order to improve your performance, if you cannot accept defeat in the true spirit of Budo then do not compete. Respect for the dojo, your fellow students, tradition and all the people who have gone before you.

Manners maketh man, that’s what I was told in my childhood. Good manners cost nothing, daily life would be so much better if people only followed these two mottoes. Saying excuse me and thank you, make all the difference, at work or school, even when you are out shopping. Everybody seems to be in such a hurry that they do not have time for one another, which leads to stress and bad manners. Although we live in a society of equal opportunities for men and women, the simple gesture of holding a door open for a lady, whilst in itself is not so important does signify good manners. Standing up when shaking hands, not only when you meet someone for the first time but whenever you shake hands is also good manners.

In Kyokushin you must always stand when talking to your sempai and when shaking hands you use both hands to hold his, as a sign of respect.

Shihan Howard Collins, 8th dan