"One day, when I was younger, probably around your ages." Master Kim gestures toward the sea of short brown belts that sit before him. "My father asked me to mow the lawn. I told him 'But I don't know how to'. Do you know what he said? He said 'Figure it out'. It is true, he said 'you can read, so go read the directions and figure it out'.
"It took me five hours to mow the lawn, but I did it. Yes, it would have taken less time if he had shown me how to do it, but he was teaching me a lesson. I finished the job with the confidence that I could figure anything out and that I was a smart boy.
"So, I will hold your hand until blue belt, but at red, I will push you away and at brown, I will kick you away. Work hard on your own because we won't always be able to hold you hand. You need to learn to figure things out for yourself. "
Several hands shoot up, some of the younger kids are eager to answer.
"Yes?" Master Kim nods at a young brown belt.
The brown belt answers with confidence. "How to mow the lawn and figure things out yourself."
"No." Master Kim nods at another student.
"Cha-ryut?"
"Yes, and the other?" He nods at another student.
"Shuh."
"No."
"Is it Kyung-ne?"
"Yes. Cha-ryut and kyung-ne are the two most important aspects in Tae Kwon Do. If you cannot do those two right, you cannot succeed in Tae Kwon Do. Cha-ryut shows self-discipline. If you cannot stand still for a few seconds, how will you do Tae Kwon Do? How will you do anything? Kyung-ne shows respect. Respect for the people around you and respect for yourself. If you don't have respect for me, why will I have respect for you?"
Silence fills the room. Everyone is still holding their breath. We are waiting for more. He stands. Mr. Surage and Mr. Hounsell rise with him. It is over. The rest of the ceremony must go on, but everyone is still stunned by his words. It makes so much sense now; how those simple actions had always held a deeper meaning.