Discipline Respect Equals Limits And Boundaries
[Mission 2000] > [Moo Do] > [Respect] > [Courtesy] > [Friendship] > [Brotherhood] > [Cooperation] > [Goodwill]
The first objective cited by the Founder in Mission 2000 is:
Human Relationships (U.S.): Continue to develop the atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill, within the Soo Bahk Do membership.
Discipline and respect is the observance of limits and boundaries.
Every healthy relationship has limits and boundaries. Each party in a healthy relationship indicates what is acceptable and unacceptable to them in the relationship by specifying their limts and boundaries to their partner. In a business relationship, contracts are employed to assure each party clearly communicates their limits and boundaries to the other party. In a members' organization, a membership code of conduct specifies the limits and boundaries that will encourage discipline and respect among all members. In a dojang, instructors teach students the limits and boundaries that support a proper Moo Do environment among all students in the dojang. In personal relationships, another person's limits and boundaries become understood between partners as they get to know each other; unfortunately, our personal limits and bourdaries may be less obvious and may be misinterpreted or unintentionally violated by another if we do not make them known to our partner. Clear, open communication about limits and boundaries (discipline and respect) is necessary for Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill to flourish.
Each party in a healthy relationship needs to have the discipline to limit one's actions as agreed in the relationship. Confining one actions within specified limits requires discipline. When the speed limit is 55 miles per hour and we have the discipline to limit our speed to 55 mph, then we will not cross a boundary that has been established by the highway's governing entity and find ourselves being issued a speeding ticket from a patrolman empowered to enforce the limits and boundaries of the highways that help assure safe driving conditions for everyone on the highway. When an organization limits access to what it provides to members only, then each member who wants access to what the organization has to offer, needs to demonstrate the discipline to take personal responsibility for maintaining their personal membership.
Each party in a healthy relationship needs to respect the boundaries of the other as agreed in the relationship. Respecting another's boundaries requires identifying the boundaries, being aware of them and then being sensitive to their existence and proactively refraining from violating the boundaries. For example, one might install a wooden backyard fence as a boundary to protect one's privacy, to contain one's pets or children, or to beautify one's property. A neighbor may not know why the fence was built and it may not even be any of the neighbor's business why the fence was built, but it's presence as a boundary clearly indicates that it should be respected and should not be violated. A neighbor who climbs over your fence, removes planks from your fence or paints it wild colors without your permission has failed to respect your boundary. When an organization establishes boundaries that members agree not to cross and some members willfully cross those boundaries, then boundary respecting members have a responsibility to address the behavior of errant members in accordance with organizational policies.
When limits and boundaries are violated,then discipline and respect are absent.
Bullying is a violation of the limits and boundaries of the victim and it is the absence of discipline and respect in the bully.
The Moo Duk Kwan philosophy and the very art that each of us embrace and practice sprang forth from a crucible of bullying at its worst during Korea's occupation by an agressor. The Korean people were sufferring oppression, unbridaled violence, mass killings, book burnings and all manner of abuse. Kwan Jang Nim presented photos in his Moo Duk Kwan history slide show that provided only a small glimpse of the unfortunate outcomes that occurred from the willfull violation of limits and boundaries among people and the rampant disregard of discipline and respect for fellow humans. http://soobahkdo.editme.com/Slideshows
Somewhere in the midst of these terrible circumstances Founder Hwang Kee formulated his philosophy and art. Over time, rationale minds prevailed when "someone" finally chose to stand up to the bullies and say, "enough is enough" and ultimately the Korean people were freed from the terrible incarnation of bullying they had long endured. After the Korean war ended, order was eventually restored to Korean society and rules of civilized behavior were adopted and enforced to prevent conflict (Moo), to preserve harmony among people and develop an atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill among the Korean people in their new nation. Interestingly, the Moo Duk Kwan flourished the most amidst the chaos and disorder of war-torn Korea. Perhaps because it empowered individuals and taught them to be courageous and stand up in the face of any enemy, even a potentially insurmountable one. It taught them how to avoid being victims, it trained them with skills to protect themselves from aggressors and it provided an orderly social structure among practitioners so they could enjoy discipline and respect, courtesy, brotherhood and cooperation among themselves even as chaos, disrespect and abuse of individuals was the norm outside the dojang.
When considering why Mission 2000 cites human relations as #1 priority and why being a Moo Do organization was listed as #3 priority, is it possible that the Founder's experience led him to the conclusion that unless people have the discipline to treat each other with Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill, then it is unlikely they will want to be together regardless of their relationship; whether a married couple, a student and an instructor, an organization of members like our Federation or the people of a country, etc. Most of us to tend to prefer interacting with and associating with people who are respectful, courteous and friendly and who embrace and demonstrate values common with our own, who are cooperative with others and who demonstrate goodwill in their actions. Others we may prefer to disassociate from are often disrespectful, unfriendly, discourteous, uncooperative, bullies, self-centered or think themselves above the rules of the collective.
Instructors strengthen the foundation of our art and a dojang environment based on discipline and respect among students when each new student is instructed about the protocol for removing one's shoes before entering, saluting the flags at the door before entering and bowing to the seniors they meet upon entering the dojang. Its a very simple set of rules with far reaching integration in our art. Because every student is taught this same simple set of rules, later if a student walks casually into the dojang with shoes on and without saluting the flags at the door or fails to bow to seniors upon meeting them, then the errant student will surely be corrected for violating those dojang protocols - potentially by any other student in the dojang who knows the rules - regardless of the student's justifications for ignoring the established protocol.
In his vision objectives, Kwan Jang Nim has been urging each of us to strengthen the foundation of our art and to do so by exemplifying our Moo Do values in our personal actions and behaviors and the example we set for others.
Tournament rules establish an understanding of acceptable and unacceptable interaction (limits and boundaries) between competitors that both sparring partners agree to abide by (discipline and respect) before entering the ring. During a match should one competitor violate the rules (limits and boundaries) that they agreed to follow before entering the ring, the ring officials are there to protect the other competitor who is still abiding by the rules as agreed. Ocassionally a competitor may disregard the rules so extremely or continue disregarding them after multiple warnings until they are disqualified from a match. In our members' organization, if ring official observe a competitor making unacceptable contact with their sparring partner and yet allow the errant competitor to continue violating the rules, then those officials are contributing to the abuse of the rule abiding competitior. Such a failure by any ring official would be a failure to fulfill their role and responsibility to their fellow members as a duly appointed official of the organization.
When every student is empowered by the same rules and abides by the same limits and boundaries, then the foundation of discipline and respect is more likely to be preserved. But what about those unfortunate situations when an errant individual happens to be senior to all who could point out their error? What happens then? How can the foundation be strengthened if our Moo Do culture prohibits juniors from having any recourse in such situations? In those unfortunate and paradoxical circumstances, how can human relations be preserved and how does a Moo Do organization address such a paradox? Two things come to mind,
- by fostering the personal growth and development of self-empowered individual member practitioners who can recognize for themselves when fellow members are following the rules or breaking the rules - regardless of the rank involved - and fostering members who have the yong gi to take the necessary responsive individual actions when limits and boundaries are breeched or when discipline and respect are absent,
- supporting a members' organization structure that empowers officials to enforce the rules (limits and boundaries) and protocols of our art (discipline and respect) that every practitioner and member has agreed to follow.
http://soobahkdo.editme.com/CharterAndBylaws
http://soobahkdo.editme.com/BoardGovernancePolicies
http://soobahkdo.editme.com/MembershipCodeOfConduct
http://soobahkdo.editme.com/AdministrativeResponsibilities
http://soobahkdo.editme.com/LetterOfUnderstanding
Even with these written understandings and the limits and boundaries contained therein, sometimes the roles, responsibilities and authority of Federation officials can result in situations where the person holding an official organizational role or position may be junior in rank to an errant member. Within our art the Moo Do value of discipline and respect is a two-way street supported by our Federation's structure and preserved by individual members who have the will to follow the length and breadth of the right path. http://soobahkdo.editme.com/ThePath
Observers on a playground who watch a bully wreck havoc on their victim and do nothing to intervene or address the situation are as guilty of inappropriate behavior as the bully. If the non-responsive observer happens to be a Moo Duk Kwan trained practitioner schooled in the 8 key concepts and the 10 articles of faith who fails to muster up the yong gi to take individual action when observing or experiencing bullying behavior, then the situation is even more regretable and unfortunate. Bullying in all its forms is corrosive and harmful to human relations and tolerating or making excuses for such errant behavior by fellow members is detrimental to our Mission Objectives regardless of the rank of the person engaged in the behaviors. Each tolerated or excused act of bullying is only a step backward in time closer to the unfortunate days in Korea where our art was first born in a country overrun with bullies. http://soobahkdo.editme.com/BullyBehaviors
In 1999 the Board of Directors developed and adopted a set of Board Governance policies that all Directors agreed would guide and support the most Moo Do behavior possible by and among Board Directors and the leadership of the Federation by contining to develop an atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill, within the Soo Bahk Do membership. When Board Directors join the Board, they are advised about the Board's policies and protocols just as a new student is advised about removing their shoes before entering a dojang, saluting the flags at the door and bowing to seniors they meet. Some of the Board's policies are a bit like stop signs and red lights. They establish limits and boundaries. When we run a stop sign or run a red light or exceed the speed limit, we may be called to account for our specific misbehavior by a representative ( police, judge, etc.) of the group who set the speed limit and who decided where stop signs and red lights would be placed for the benefit of the community in which they exist. In support of harmonious human relations, the Board even agreed that should an individual Director or Directors violate the Board's agreed upon policies for Director behavior, the Board shall seek improved group understanding of the policy and/or clarification of a policy shall be sought through official Board level discussion rather than rendering judgements and sanctions of errant individual Directors. (For example, Is the stop sign necessary? Is it in an appropriate location? Is the speed limit appropriate? What shall be the fine for running a stop sign or exceeding the speed limit?, etc. up to and including a worst case scenario of Is it necessary to remove a Board Director or Board Directors from the Board as specified in bylaws?) Your Board of Directors have collectively agreed to hold themselves to the highest possible standards of individual and group behavior and exemplary leadership. Each director is expected to do so in their individual actions, communications, behaviors, etc.
Our Federation's structure supports every member in expressing their views and positions in accordance with the deliberative group's agreed upon protocols; however, when individuals begin to violate the collective group's rules, then group members have a responsibility to call the errant members to account for their specific behavior violations. Our country and our Federation provide every member with the opportunity to speak up about whatever topic we wish to discuss provided we have the discipline and respect not to violate the limits and boundaries of others. Of course those who willfully violate the rules often tend to be bullies who are masters of diversion and when called to account for their misbehavior, they tend to bring up many other issues, topics, accusations and statements of victimization in an effort to divert group attention from their initial abberant behavior that generated all the subsequent turmoil and the time sink for the group.
You might ask what kind of errant behaviors or situations may occur within the Federation that might detract from an atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill, within the Soo Bahk Do membership, rather than encouraging it?
- For example,
- are human relations improved when some members are required to have current membership to vote or participate in Federation activites or events while others may be allowed to do so without current membership?
- are human relations improved when an instructor does not register their new students with the Federation but other instructors do register their new students?
- are human relations improved when an instructor tests gup students and awards them belt ranks without the Kwan Jang Nim's approval?
- are human relations improved when some members remit the amounts they owe the Federation while others do not?
- are human relations improved when ring officials allow contact to continue unabated in a tournament?
- are human relations improved if an expired member is allowed to compete in a tournament against a current member and the expired member wins the trophy?
- are human relations improved when a member receives poor service from Headquarters?
- are human relations improved when a Federation official violates their oath of office or fails to fulfill their role or responsibilites
- are human relations improved when one member is allowed to be undisciplined and disrespectful to another or others?
- are human relations improved when a student is allowed to enter the dojang with shoes on, without saluting and without bowing to seniors?
- is ignoring, denying or enabling these situations to occur the best example of our Moo Do values in action?
- other
We all would probably prefer that none of the unfortunate situations listed above ever occur, but if and when they do we would also probably prefer that the officials we have empowered to address them so so. Of course we - an individual member- may be the one who needs to step up to the task at hand. Unfortunately in some cases of errant member behavior, fellow members (even officials) seldom want to call each other to account (especially not one's senior), so inappropiate behaviors may sometimes be ignored, tolerated or excused within the culture of our art and organization under the mistaken assumption that doing so is the Moo Do thing to do or that doing so supports improved human relations more than addressing and seeking to correct the errant behavior. Nothing could be further from reality.
So if you want to help strengthen the foundation and... "Continue to develop the atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation and Goodwill, within the Soo Bahk Do membership..." then be a self-educating, informed member who carefully gathers information, considers multiple perspectives, considers facts and respects the work of fellow members before rendering outspoken decisions or launching public tirades or campaigns based on personal agendas, disinformation, diversions, myths, misperceptions and unquantifiable statements of questionable veracity instead of facts. The latter are typical weapons that bullies employ right after disregarding the limits and boundaries of discipline and respect that others are abiding by. In doing so the bullies reveal their lack of discipline and respect for others and they detract from our Mission objectives.
Bullying is a violation of the limits and boundaries of the victim and it is the absence of discipline and respect in the bully.
When limits and boundaries are violated,then discipline and respect are absent.
When discipline and respect are absent, there can be no atmosphere of Respect, Courtesy, Friendship, Brotherhood, Cooperation or Goodwill among the victims nor among non-responsive observers.
Phil Duncan
01/25/2009