I have been slowly coming to the conclusion that many of this generation's young people are not able to distinguish between being uncomfortable and being in pain. Perhaps they haven't experienced both?
One of my mantras during Kung Fu practice is to repeatedly remind students to have a tight fist and a low stance. Sounds simple, right? Yet, I have to remind them of it often.
When I remind someone to drop their stance lower, because their knees are locked out and straight after only a few seconds, I sometimes hear "but it hurts". Lately, I have been responding with, "No. You are uncomfortable. There is a big difference". I worry that maybe our kids have it so good that they don't know the difference. Haven't you had to persevere through something before to accomplish a task?
One of the core values that this country was founded on was to work hard and try and make things better for the next generation (your children). We may have reached the apex. Our children are largely spoon fed information in school, given rewards for mediocre things in the interest of self-esteem, and given high dollar items for gifts (iphones, playstations, computers, etc). Our children probably have it easier than any other generation in our history.
HOWEVER, I have seen children as young as 11 using drugs and/or alcohol. I once had a 6th grade student arrested for stealing.... a police radio out of a patrol cruiser. Seen the reports on teen pregnancy lately? How about the groups of girls who make pacts to all get pregnant? Kids are mutilating themselves out of boredom and the addiction to the rush they receive. We have more diagnosed cases of ADD/ADHD than ever, as well as other behavioral disorders. School psychologists are backlogged with cases that they can never get to. Depression. Defiance. Anxiety. Kids these days are as unhappy as ever.
WHY?
I would like to suggest that the reason may be that they feel unfulfilled. How satisfied can you really be unless you earn something you want? or create something you can be proud of? or look at a job well done and feel proud of what you just accomplished? We weren't meant to have everything handed to us on a platter. Whether you cling to Christian morals or think we evolved from primoridal soup. God wants us to work and persevere as part of our spiritual journey. If evolution is your thing, than I ask, does our body structure, brain processes, etc, suggest that we should be sessile beings? Nope. We were meant to work, to run, to jump, to build, to create, to experiment, to investigate.
Martial Arts is one such way for children to EARN their sense of self-fulfillment and accomplishment. The reward is in doing the activity itself. Watch a child's face the first time they learn how to block a punch, evade an attack, or perform a throw. No toy, iphone or xbox needed. The accomplishment of the challenge is the reward itself. This moment of success is motivating. That motivation leads to future moments of success, both in and out of the training hall.
By the way, remember this song? if you're one of my students, likely not. If you're one of my teachers, probably so. Talking 'bout My Generation was performed by The Who.