Tae Kwon Do Test Essays

The concept of Self-Mastery entails understanding the origin of one's emotions, identifying the basis of one's intentions while creating the proper thoughts and following through with the appropriate action. In order to further understand how to develop oneself, three ideal aspects of Self-Mastery can be distinguished: the Strong Person, the Authentic Person and the Concerned Person. The coalescence of all three elements creates the foundation for the ideal of Self-Mastery.

The ideal of the Strong Person can be understood as one who upholds a strong character. The Strong Person understands the process of character development and has the ability to overcome the ego. The ability to identify weakness within one's character and then continuously strive for improvement is central. The Strong Person perceives strength as a relative concept; strength is determined through a process, and that process necessarily involves self-reflection and the evaluation and criticism of others. It is only through this admission of weakness that the Strong Person derives strength. This ideal is the foundation of Self-Mastery.

The ideal of the Authentic Person fundamentally correlates to one's intentions. Authenticity is the quality or essence of being real, true or pure. When one's intentions are authentic, then one's actions will possess the quality of being true, pure or benevolent. An action which results in negative consequences can remain authentic in so far as one's intentions are positive. Therefore, the Authentic Person is one whose actions are not motivated by personal gain or through outcomes but instead acts as a consequence of benevolent intentions.
The ideal of the Concerned Person builds upon the benevolent intentions of the authentic ideal by further considering the result of one's actions upon others. (By 'others', I intend other human beings as well as flora, fauna and the world in general.) Coupling one's positive intentions with a concern for the well-being of oneself and others cultivates the awareness of one's unity with nature. When one's thoughts and intentions are examined through a perspective which includes others, one's actions will necessarily emphasize the interconnection of nature. Since one's actions are not recognized as independent of others, one's well-being is directly related to other's well-being in general. Thus, the ideal of the Concerned Person is one whose actions emerge from the desire to improve others' circumstances through one's own actions.

The three elements of strength of character, authenticity and concern for others are actually facets of a single concept-Self-Mastery. Each element is interrelated such that one cannot exist upon its own. The Strong Person relies upon the ideal of Authenticity to improve and develop while Authenticity necessarily considers Concern for Others through intentions and actions, and this process determines the improvement of the Strong Person. Thus, the ideal of Self-Mastery is a process that relies upon and interrelates the ideals of the Strong, Authentic and Concerned Person.

Test Essays:
The HMD Academy program is founded on training of both the body and the mind, and our Promotional Belt Tests reflect this balance. In order to promote through each rank, students perform the physical and technical requirements of their particular rank and complete a goal-setting section and essay to demonstrate their understanding of the martial arts as an ethical and mentally reflective exercise.

The essay requirements throughout the colored belt ranks are designed to help students develop their own concepts of responsibility, ethics and interconnection. Ultimately, the students who continue their training into the Black Belt ranks have acquired the physical and mental awareness to more profoundly examine the philosophical underpinnings of the martial arts in order to bring balance to their own lives and, at the apex of martial arts training, to help others in society.