Should community service be a requirement for belt promotion?

 

     My school curriculum is a bit unorthodox in that I require all of my students to perform some type of community service in order to be considered for promotion. The project a student chooses can be quite simple and does not necessarily have to be either big or complex. The idea is to get out there and doing something that's positive, empowering, and supportive for members of your community.

     I first began to piece together the idea of martial arts and community service when I was training in Karate back in the early 90s. At about the same time I began to study and become interested in Japanese culture. What I found to be of particular interest was the ruling warrior class of feudal Japan known as the Samurai. I was amazed to see the number of diverse roles they played in their society. 

     The men and women, who made up the ranks of the samurai were multifaceted in that they were extremely fierce warriors, but also highly literate and artistic. Unlying all of the samurai actions was the notion of bushido, a moral code of conduct that served to give guidance to samurais behavior, duties, and responsibilities. The thing that intrigued me most about this concept was the idea of loyalty and selfless service to those you served.

     Those sets of principles, loyalty, and selfless service started me thinking about the role of martial arts and service to others and how they relate to one another. I soon started to view my role as a martial artist as someone who not only seeks self-improvement but looks to build up those around me. This notion of helping and supporting others soon extended beyond those with whom I only trained with. 

     When I finally opened my school I saw it as my obligation to not only transform the lives of my students but the lives of the community whose members I serve as well. I felt it my duty to ensure I continued this notion of service through to my students. To be a student of the martial arts is to be a student of life and serve as a role model of moral and ethical behavior for all to follow.