I thought with us just having had our dojo party with all the families getting together as one big dojo family this would be a good time to talk about building a strong family.
The deterioration of the family unit is surely the cause of many, if not most, of the major problems facing America today. In the old days, families created strong, loyal, life-long, mutually dependent bonds. Blood was always thicker than anyone or anything else to family members.
One’s family elders were always treated with respect and their advice followed. Outsiders had little or no sway over anyone within the family unit. Family elders were cared for throughout their lives and remembered long after they were gone. Today, however, all of that has changed. With this loss has come the problems which fill the headlines of our papers each morning and which many of us must endure personally.
One of the main reasons the families of old created such strong bonds was because they took part in many – if not most – activities together. Most families today, however, have strayed far from this approach, usually not out of choice but out of economic necessity, which often requires that both parents must work to make ends meet.
The kanji, or pictogram, for Piety stresses the need for a martial artist to always show proper respect to his/her parents.
The kanji for piety shows the correct relationship between a true martial artist and his/her parents. Two symbols are actually presented. The symbol for elder rests above that of child, showing that a child always defers to, supports, and is dedicated to his/her parents.
Many parents today are forced to spend far more time than they would like away from their homes and their families.
In such an environment, children turn to their peers for support and advice rather than to their families. This leads to gang membership, drug and alcohol addiction, dangerous sexual activity, school dropout and many other problems which are highly destructive to the child, the family, and society.
Although the world has changed drastically since the old days, families who want to create strong bonds among their members still attempt to do things together. A program in the martial arts is one of the most wonderful things a family can do together. It gets everyone into the best shape of their lives, increasing both their longevity and their quality of life. No other activity offers the same level of stress relief and peace of mind as does the martial arts. Plus, it’s fun!
Family Plans are available to encourage family bonding, and to make it easier from a financial standpoint. Someone once said, “The family that kicks together, sticks together.”
I think this is true. If you know of a family who might like to try karate or if you have members of your own family that might want to try it, this is an excellent time to give them the gift of karate.