The five tenets of Tae Kwon-Do are a model for a student’s behavior. It is through these guiding principles that one’s character is developed and nourished. Every Tae Kwon-Do student memorizes the tenets and applies each belief into their life.
5. Indomitable Spirit (Baekjul Bool Gool)
One of my little students approached me with a problem. He handed me a piece of paper.
“What’s this?” I asked.
He said, “It’s the answers to tomorrow’s science test.”
“What are you doing with them?”
“My friend was handing them out to everyone and I don’t know what to do.”
I could sense the guilt swelling in his stomach. I asked, “What do you think you should do?”
“I should probably tell the teacher, but then all the kids are going to be upset with me and beat me up.”
I chuckled. “They’re not going to beat you up. You need to do what’s right even though it might be difficult. You’re tough and can handle this.”
So the next day he told the teacher and, oh boy, were the other kids upset with him. He went through a rough time. For a little guy, you can imagine the difficulty he went through turning in his friends. But he had courage to do what was right even though he knew his friends would be mad him. That’s having indomitable spirit.
In the end, my student emerged as a hero because many other kids who also didn’t want to cheat on the science test came forward. He made new and better friends. Plus, he earned a much greater respect from his teacher and the faculty.
Indomitable spirit is never giving up in spite of the situation and your personal outcome. We like to associate indomitable spirit with the military, police, and fire fighters. These people have HUGE indomitable spirit. Instead of running away from a guy with a gun, these people run towards the gun. They instinctively rush into a burning building. Soldiers dive on hand grenades to save lives. These are all signs of indomitable spirit.
This is the final post in a five-part series on the Tenets of Tae Kwon-Do. View posts on Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, and Self Control.
Master Gorino’s Tae Kwon-Do offers a trial program for individuals and families in Buffalo, NY and the surrounding areas that allows you to get a feel for the different classes, meet our instructors, and experience our dojang. It’s a great way to see if Tae Kwon-Do is right for you. To learn more or to sign up, register online or call (716) 836-KICK (5425) and a member of our team will follow up with you on next steps. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals. Pil-Sung!
