A wise Sensei once told the story of how elephants are the strongest mammals on Earth, weighing up to 13,000 pounds. They can easily uproot trees with their massive strength….unless they believe they can’t. In the circus, such a belief is instilled at a very young age by tying baby elephants to the center pole with a rope around their ankle. At this age, the elephants will try over and over to pull themselves free; but eventually they give up. A belief has been planted and is so strong that when these elephants are full grown and have the strength to easily break free from the center pole, a simple rope holds them in place.
In a similar way, a bullied child will internalize the belief of powerlessness and it will haunt them in profound ways even as an adult. The young person who is told they are stupid will carry that belief and never realize they are, in fact, infinitely brilliant.
Every person you encounter, including the one you see when you look in the mirror, possesses a potential that is as vast and deep at the ocean. Yet, so often, they are tragically lost at sea. To realize our own potential requires a ‘long obedience in the same direction.’
Yes, everything is within, but through the guidance of our Karate instructors and our dedication to our Karate journey, we can fully realize our own potential.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.