SUFFER? WHY?

 By Phillip Starr

Training in any given martial discipline frequently involves suffering of one kind or another. Your instructor acts as though it's a good thing and tell you to keep the spirit and endure; he won't let you quit. And so you press on and endure what often seems to be unbearable suffering. Many aspiring devotees give up and throw in the towel. Is all this really necessary?

In a word, yes.

Enduring that which seems unendurable fosters the development of character and a strong spirit, indomitable will, and perseverance. Some will insist that they can (or have) developed these attributes without having had to endure some form of physical and/or mental/emotional discomfort. They are wrong. They may THINK they have, but no...

There is an old saying that tells us, “I've learned more from pain than I ever could have learned from pleasure.” And it's true. It's true not just for the practice of martial arts, but for life in general. Overcoming that pain is what builds character and perseverance. It makes us who and what we are.