You'll never know when your dobok has a cape attached

[StudentCarl]

Some time you will be a hero to someone, and you'll never know when. I'm talking about your day-to-day influence in a person's life, not some physical action you take in a crisis. It won't be who you expect, and you may not find out for a long time, if ever.

As a veteran high school teacher, I've seen kids' lives changed by their contact over time with one person who they've invested in. It can happen at any time; sometimes when they're 7, sometimes when they're 18, and it's never planned.

What makes a difference will be what they need at the time, not something that you, yourself, would pick out as powerful or significant. It will be something about you that is authentic and pure. Chances are pretty good it will relate to one or more of the 5 tenets. It's not just the kids who might look that way at you either.

I hope you act each moment as though someone is seeing a cape on your dobok. The world needs heroes.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Some time you will be a hero to someone, and you'll never know when. I'm talking about your day-to-day influence in a person's life, not some physical action you take in a crisis. It won't be who you expect, and you may not find out for a long time, if ever.

Once upon a time, I ran a small used computer store in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was a spare-time affair, I still had a day job; in the end, it didn't work out.

But one weekend, I was babysitting my nephew for my sister, and I brought him down to my shop. At first, he was excited to be going to spend the day at my 'computer store', but then he was disappointed that I had no computer games for him to play.

I felt bad that I had nothing to interest him, so I asked him if he wanted to learn to build a computer. He said yes, so I rustled up some parts and a screwdriver. I gave him the basics; power supply, motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, and video card. He was a quick study, I just let him go to it. In a couple hours, he had a PC he had built himself. We loaded an OS on it, and he had a working computer.

He was happy, but I didn't think that much about it. Years later, he sent me an email, telling me how important that moment had been in his life. He got interested in computers, and it took his life in a whole new direction after that. I had no idea I was being a role model that day. I don't know if I was wearing a cape, and it has nothing to do with martial arts, but it sure made me feel good.

Thanks for posting, it brought back a fond memory.

 

[Archtkd]

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He was happy, but I didn't think that much about it. Years later, he sent me an email, telling me how important that moment had been in his life. He got interested in computers, and it took his life in a whole new direction after that. I had no idea I was being a role model that day. I don't know if I was wearing a cape, and it has nothing to do with martial arts, but it sure made me feel good.

Now that's pure.