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| Who I am and what I do... | How I do what I do... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Every morning as I rise and perform my exercises I smile with the constant reminders that I am a martial artist. It seems so incongruous and yet so necessary that this is who I am. I study a martial art which transliterates 'officially' into English as Hai Dong Gumdo. The pronunciation of it more closely resembles 'heh-doeng khom-doe'. Hai Dong Gumdo means East Sea Swordsmanship. A nuance of the meaning which is lost in translation refers to the reflection of the dawn's light and energy from the upraised blade. Korea was the land of the East Sea in the eyes of Asian scholars past. Hai Dong Gumdo is a comprehensive system of sword mastery which teaches control of the self via control of one's destructive powers. Mastery of the sword is mastery of the self. As trite as that may seem I entreat you to contemplate the sword. In form, fascinating, in function, horrifying it has but one purpose - killing. The student of the sword must accept the responsiblity of controlling this function. The process does not end there. If one learns how to slay then one learns how easily one can be slain in turn. The circle spins again. Examination for the weakness in others reveals the weakness in the self. If you are fortunate then all of these high-sounding ideas can manifest in your study and in your life. Eventually, as you stand ready with sword in hand, perhaps you can come to feel the balance of life and death beneath you and understand your place in this existence we have created for ourselves. That is my hope. Can anyone do this? What are classes like? What do you need? What good is it? The World Hai Dong Gumdo Federation? A Brief History |
To pursue my interest in swords, eating and paying my bills I came to Asia. I currently live and work in South Korea where, like thousands of other people, I teach English. It is not a job for everyone. Paradoxically it is not a job that requires great linguistic ability (good but not extraordinary) but instead requires mental stamina. Life here can be hard in some very unexpected ways. Incredible depths of difference await the newcomer. Is teaching English abroad worth it? For me, I must give a resounding affirmative but it is hard won. It is an invaluable opportunity to shatter preconceptions about where you are and where you have been but it also offers the chance to examine who you are. When you are the only person for miles with even the most vague understanding of your terms of reference it can force you to re-evaluate certain beliefs. I came to Korea for two reasons. The first was to explore teaching as a career. I needed to know if this was a direction in which I wanted to travel. The second reason was to study martial arts - Hai Dong Gumdo in particular. I wanted to expose myself to Asian martial systems in areas that aren't well represented at home. What I have found in Hai Dong Gumdo has changed my life forever and empowers me to persevere through the daily complications of being a 'stranger in a strange land.' Not all people have constant difficulties here but I feel it is truthful to say that no one can move to an entirely new culture without learning to adapt to a few... things. A Brief Commentary on this Website List of Updates and New Additions The proto FAQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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