Farang-
I first started because of intimidation. I had skipped a grade, so everyone in school was older to begin with, and in High School the seniors in my weights class could probably have broken me like a toothpick then. I felt since I was weaker and younger than these guys, I should have some kind of edge in case one of these guys had a bad day. My mom and sister were taking a women-self-defense-against-rapers class and my (then) Kyo Sa Nim was there for some of the classes. I did some research afterward and the style sounded very well-rounded, so I started.
After I put on some muscle in weights, and had been training for a year, these guys didn't seem as intimidating, but I still train in the fact that Hwa Rang Do will probably save my life as a LEO or SWAT officer. I train my heart out, because I'd rather fix mistakes than to make them and get hurt.
Farang-
Ryan