I am excited to announce that we will be adding the new Acts of Kindness stripe.  A good friend of mine and great Martial Artist, Tom Callos, had this to say about kindness:

KINDNESS MAY VERY WELL BE THE ULTIMATE FORM OF SELF-DEFENSE.

Kindness is certainly the opposite of bullying. The Dalai Lama has said, “My religion is kindness.” Kindness is at the root of non-violence and compassion for others.
Kindness is a counter to the hyper-masculine violence perpetuated by the media in today’s world. The martial artist who practices the extreme forms of hand-to-hand combat, of kicking people, of gouging, of palm strikes and elbow smashes, and/or the athlete preparing him or herself to “fight in the cage,” can use the practice of kindness to balance the scale, to represent both the yin and the yang, the soft and yielding and the hard and resilient.

While kindness and that which is not kindness may represent the exact opposite of each other, that which is NOT kindness does not do for the human being what kindness can do. Kindness can bring about happiness, while that which is not kindness is not, usually, associated with peace of mind, happiness, or contentment.

For me, as a veteran martial arts practioner and a man, currently age 50, I have come to the realization that mastery, at its deepest level, has more to do with the practice of kindness than it does with the practice of technique. As a teacher, I would be doing my students a huge disservice if I did not emphasize the practice of kindness in equal proportion and with equal vigor (if not more) to the practice of any other aspect of martial arts training.

I believe that, in the end, it will be kindness –above all other things –that shapes one’s character, that builds relationships, that creates community, and that offers the best memories. Kindness may very well be the ultimate form of self-defense.

WHAT MORE CAN YOU SAY.

Students will be encouraged to commit 10 Acts of Kindness and record them in the comments below to earn their stripe.  Even if everyone in the dojo only earns their stripe once we will have thousands of Acts of Kindness in our community.  Now that is REAL SELF-DEFENSE!  Here is a great site with some ideas to get you started.