Visiting martial arts clubs in the central province of Binh Dinh, I was surprised by martial arts students’ polite greetings. After leaving the first club, I wondered if I would be welcomed with such politeness at other martial arts clubs.
When starting nursery school, children are taught how to greet adults, but many of them seem to forget this when growing older.
I still remember that a monitor often ordered the whole class to stand up to greet an adult who visited the class twenty years ago. This could hardly happen today.
Coming to other martial arts clubs in Binh Dinh, I was always given their respects I had witnessed at the first club. They not only greeted orally but crossed their arms and bowed their heads upon seeing me.
Their behavior made me look back some ways of greetings I saw. Senior officials of some religious societies often clasp their hands and bow their heads when greeting someone, even young people.
Such greetings are common in foreign countries, showing their distinctive cultural features. I just realized I forgot replying to the Japanese archaeologist’s greeting in the same way when he bowed his head to greet me.
I was always surprised with what I saw during the time when I visited martial arts clubs. Initially, I thought martial arts students’ behavior also includes “strength”, but I had to change my thought.
After finishing practice, both Masters and students gathered on a playground to talk. It was time the Masters talked to their students about moral principles in martial arts.
They listened to their Masters with concentration. The talks were about simple issues in their life, but they still attracted the students.
A Master said he has never seen any fights among his students for the past 50 years. Moral issues martial arts students learnt when beginning to practice martial arts helped them avoid wrongdoings.
“We must talk to our student with our hearts and minds,” a Master said. “Students must be showed what is good and what is bad so that they could know how to behave.”
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