Articles by Dahrla Mailman, Shodan

Karate Talk (Issue 4)

Living the Five Rules….SINCERITY

SINCERITY:

Honesty of mind; purity
Genuine in feeling; an absence of pretense
Freedom from hypocrisy or exaggeration

Two-faced, Fake, Hypocrite, Liar….Unfortunately, we all know someone who is deserving of one of these terms. What we’re really saying when we use these words is that this person has a lack of sincerity. Nobody likes to be around people like that, and in the end, these people are without friends because no-one is able to respect them or believe anything they say. Worse yet, they are ultimately unable to respect themselves! In the words of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite."

To walk with sincerity in the world, we must be honest with ourselves as well as others. Being honest with ourselves means that we must always be aware of what the motivations are behind our words or actions. For example; a wife cleans out her husbands closet and throws out his comfy, ragged, old flannel shirt. Is she trying to help him by accomplishing a chore he never has time to do, or is she really trying to get rid of that old shirt because it embarrasses her when he wears it? How about the older child who eats the younger siblings candy and tells mother, “I just didn’t think he needed any more sugar!” Sincere, or merely a justification for getting what he wants in a dishonest fashion? You be the judge! As Confuscius says, “Honesty and truth are the basis of every virtue.”

Sincerity in the Karate studio is especially important. To be successful in the martial arts you must have a sincere desire to learn, you must be sincerely enthusiastic about each phase of your training and you must expend sincere effort during class and in home practice! Being honest with yourself about where improvement is needed in your attitude as well as your technique is critical. I find this a constant challenge in my own training. Being married to the Master makes it hard to remember sometimes where husband ends and Sifu begins. I have occasionally been guilty of having a disrespectful attitude when corrected during class. I think, “How dare he speak to me like that? I’m his wife!” Later, however, when I calm down and look at things honestly, I always realize that I was the one being disrespectful! When in class, there should be no questioning of the Master by any of us. He is the Sensei, we are the students, and that’s that.

A good way to test your own level of sincerity regarding the martial arts would be to ask yourself, “Am I accomplishing everything I can accomplish given my level of ability?” If you know you’re giving 100%, that’s fantastic! However, if you know you can do better — then stop making excuses for yourself, get honest, get real, get sincere, and JUST DO IT!