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In
Taekwondo there is No Enemy
There is no enemy in Taekwondo. The implications of this are very profound for it implies not only that Taekwondo is a tool of force and yet no one is to be regarded as an enemy. One should consider this proposition carefully. How then is it possible that the Taekwondo-Een has no enemy in spite
of the many oppositions and conflicts of human life? Consider Taekwondo
like an herb growing on the earth of opposition and conflict. The herb's
method of obtaining the water and nourishment for growth is not a struggle
against others but a process of overcoming itself. TAEKWONDO is the way
of overcoming all that is opposed against you. Although the opponent is
an important part in that whole process he cannot be everything. You as
a Taekwondo-Een fight within the context of balance and opposition among
all things - your opponent, external circumstances, and not least of all
yourself. This is not a fight that gives rise to quarrels but rather an
aspect expressed out of the intrinsic vital process implicit in everyone.
This essence of Taekwondo results in its strength, through which we can
realize that Taekwondo is not ultimately for war but for peace. On the other hand, there can be no enemy because no enemy can ultimately
remain against the Taekwondo-Een. So it is said that there is no 'Enemy'
with whom the Taekwondo-Een contends, there is only an Opponent. Since
Taekwondo is ultimately a process where you mature in the battle against
yourself, your enemy, if any, is in the opponent as only a part of your
opponent, and is in yourself as only a part of yourself.
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