DRAGONFLOWER

(Please note that in this poem, "dragon" stands for truth and God, and Dragon Flower is resurrection.)

Through the mists of time and place, it
Is always so--
Many journey after the truth
And many fall from the confused and Meandering path
Of pitfalls and potholes Left unfilled by the Empty Way.
Before time was conceived, unchanging Truth has waited
For those strong enough to seek it,
Humble enough to accept it, Spirited enough to live it: Those Who Will Walk the Narrow Way. These youth of the flowering spirit and Knowledge Forge across the firmest footholds, Avoiding the sinking sands of falsehood And compromise - Unblinded by the world.
They will truly know the dragon. They will not be crushed in the claws of Deception Nor bow down to small ideas, But when the debris of the world Seeks to bury and devour A bud appears, and then a blossom, And Truth will be as Dragonflow'r.

Grandmaster Patty Inglish

Homer International Society of Poets;August, 1986


THE PEOPLE OF JIDOKWAN

In many lands across the earth, the inhabitants call themselves simply and truthfully "The People." Native Americans have named themselves this, and so have many Asian peoples. Today, through genetic tracing, we know that they are related, and think that Asians migrated across the Bering Strait into the Western hemisphere, all the way south to Tierra Del Fuego and up through Canada and across all the lands to the eastern shores of the American continents. 

Long ago and half a globe distant from America, there was war in Asia against the Han people who called themselves in Korean, by one translation, "The First True People".

Living under the protection of the King's Royal Court, the Han of Korea practiced the foundation principles and exercises that led to the formation of the modern-day houses, or Kwans, of Korean martial arts. These include the Jidokwan or House of Wisdom in Korea at one point and finally our Ji Do Kwan (TM) Academy. Indigenous combat of the Han and expanding martial arts in North and South Korea became a pathway leading to today's Olympic event of Taekwondo.  

Korean history itself can be traced to before 2333 BC. Human migration can be traced back in time and up through South Korea, North Korea, Northern Siberia, Northern China, Mongolia, Manchuria, passing by the Shaolin Temple, through Tibet, and even into India. The Korean language and people themselves are descendants, based on genetic findings, of early inhabitants of the Altai Mountains located in frozen northern Siberia.

Zakharov, et.al., 2004, at the Russian Accademy of Sciences found this evidence: The peoples of the Alta region of Siberia are truly an ancient race older than the rest of Siberia and Central Asia, related to the Koreans and the Native Americans of North America. All of this shows that hand-to-hand combat developing into the indigenous Korean martial arts, and finally, modern marital arts. It can therefore be traced back to Altaians of several thousand years ago and not first to India and a single monk, as previously supposed.

Influences from India, Shaolin, Japan and others occurred later in history. Earlier, martial arts began in Ancient Egypt in at least 3,000+ BC. There is mention in ancient Tibetan documents circa the same period, of marital arts, but a link has not yet been discovered as of this writing. 

The harsh lifestyle required in northern Siberia where temperatures regularly reach -75 degree F in the winter led to the development of a fierce determination and an ongoing understanding between man and nature for survival.

There is a proverb applied to martial arts in Korea: "Anyplace, Anytime, with Anything." In fact, this is how the Altai people learned to survive. It was not random or an accident, but a survival based in intent and purpose, becuase it takes a seriousness and much planning to survive in the permafrost regions of Siberia. 

The Altai people have, in recent decades, participated in annual cultural festivals held among former Soviet countries, and are called simply "The People of the North." That seems to say it all. They are very much respected for their strength and fierce determination, illustrated by the hush that falls over the crowd of spectators as the Altai enter the arena dressed in heavy animal skins, leading their reindeer and huge work sleds.

This kind of strength and determination are certainly seen in the northern Asian populations who continue to live in impossible conditions, and in the Korean people. We see it in Native American cultures as well.

We in Ji Do Kwan (TM) are dedicated to bringing these admirable qualities into our daily lives, with Christ's help, in order to manage in a fallen world ala 21st century progress and societal detrioration.

Our particular line of Ji Do Kwan heritage survived intact through World War II and the Japanese Occupations of Korea through a few brave individuals who went up into the mountains to continue their lives and customs.

Among these Heroes is the late Grandmaster Sun Duk Ki, a National Living Treasure of Korea. Today by such examples, we can work to overcome everyday obstacles and with "Anytime, Anyplace, with Anything. We can defeat enemies such as sickness, homelessness, illiteracy, greed, propaganda, fear, stereotype, and poverty.

Grandmaster Kae Byung Yun, a first founder, was a physician for many years in California. Information recently received from France announced that he went back to Korea, back up into the mountains to live out his remaining years.

Popular legend has it that Grandmaster and Living National Treasure #76, Sun Duk Ki, stood up to the Japanese invasion in World War II. Even though it had become illegal to train in Korean martial arts, he told the Japanese that they would not be able to stop him, and as he went up into the mountains, they remained below.

Today, we know that we cannot be stopped from achieving worthwhile goals. Many of our local students have fought in wars from Viet Nam to Iraq over the last 40 years and we thank them for that. While war is never our first choice, we appreciate their lives and their unselfish efforts for us back here in the USA.

Thus, we have many examples to follow and we are fighting for peace in different ways. We also win international tournaments, become leaders in the community, and earn Honor Roll recognitions in many academic subjects. We are artists, designers, educators, health professionals, poets, musicians. There is nothing to stop us or you, except artificial self-imposed limitations and oexcuses. We help do away with them, so come and join us!

GM Patty Inglish, MS, 9th dan