46 year old Carnegie-Mellon Professor Randy Pausch is a dreamer.

His positive outlook on life is remarkable, given his circumstances. After watching his story, in this Last Lecture, your life may never be the same again. Please watch the entire video. After you do, you'll understand why.

May God bless this dear man and his family.

To my Dear Friends in the Martial Arts Industry / World (from Tom Callos):
I am writing you this letter to introduce you to one of my teachers, Thich Nhat Hahn.
You may listen to a radio interview with Thay ("Teacher" in Vietnamese) by following this link:
CLICK HERE FOR RADIO INTERVIEW WITH Thich Nhat Hahn
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/thichnhathanh/index.shtml
Thay isn't wise because he's a Zen monk or a Buddhist or a revered figure or a historical icon, he's wise because he so eloquently and precisely talks the talk and walks the walk of the absolute opposite of violence.
He knows how to talk about peace and compassion and finding one's center in a way that is so clear, perfect, and enlightened that if you listen carefully, you will instantly absorb some of his wisdom.
It's the kind of wisdom, I think, martial arts teachers should know and have (study) as well as they know how to block punches and kicks. It's the kind of wisdom that popular fiction (take the TV series KUNG FU for example) often connects to martial arts "masters," but that you and I both know isn't taught at martial arts conventions or in the magazines or well, almost anywhere in the "martial arts industry" (and that's a shame, as the world could use a lot more wisdom and a lot less "martial.").
I'm not selling you something here –I'm just telling you that the first time I heard Thich Nhat Hahn was like the first time I saw a Bruce Lee movie. It was like the first time I saw Royce win the UFC. On all three occasions, I instantly became a better martial artist –moved and inspired by the obvious mastery of these individuals.
In our world (the martial arts world), we're so completely inundated with the calls to "get our gross up" and to be a "martial arts millionaire" and with all the hoopla from the UFC and MMA, with all the association-based political neck squeezing, and with every other business guru trying to tell us (and sell us) on the latest business strategy –well, I find Thich Nhat Hahn's dialogue a much needed break from all this trivial financial ego-focused voodoo.
In the end, I think Thich Nhat Hahn is the Bruce Lee of common sense and usable wisdom for the martial arts teacher. I hope you'll take the time to listen to something I think is monumentally important to our industry –and the world.
Tom Callos

You can study a martial art for 10 years and be the best in your dojo, but when that day comes when you actually have to defend yourself in a real life threatening situation, you cannot. Fear over comes you, you make mistakes, your heart is pounding, you're sweating, and none of your techniques seem to work. Why? It's quite simple. In the dojo you know it's not real. Outside of the dojo, when your life is threatened, now it's real! What can you do?

One way is to practice in the most authentic fashion you can. Keeping in mind that the dojo is a controlled environment, training must be as realistic as possible. Attacks must be full contact and intended to strike through target, not stop an inch before it. Hard physical contact must be made at all times between students. Defense against surprise multiple attacks must be practiced repeatedly to be sufficiently engrained in muscle memory. Now, despite all of this hardcore physical training, there will still be something missing.

The most effective way is through Zen meditation. Zen meditation has been taught in conjunction with the martial arts since the days of feudal Japan. It's only until recently that it has been erased from American martial art programs due to religious ignorance or intolerance.

A major problem confronting martial arts today is that many instructors instill false confidence in their students, having them believe that they can actually defend themselves in life threatening situations without realistic physical / internal training. What's worse is that most instructors do not believe that an internal training is even necessary because they themselves have never been in such a situation. They believe that they can simply "turn it on" so to speak when it hits the fan. It unfortunately doesn't work like this.

When we are quickly agitated or perceive sudden danger our heart rate rapidly increases. This causes a chemical change to occur in our brains. When this happens, you may perceive your surroundings in a "tunnel vision". Some will say that their hearts went into their throat, everything became blurry, everything happened so fast..etc. They will begin to shake and have a slight hearing loss due to an adrenaline dump. This has happened to everyone at one time or another. This feeling can be very slight but enough to throw all of your techniques off by a hair. You will miss your target or be late to block an oncoming attack.

Through the daily practice of meditation, your normal heart rate will lower. Your pattern of breathing will actually change. With daily meditation, you will begin to breathe from your lower abdomen or hara (Jap.) in long deep breaths. This is the way that babies breathe or a person who is sleeping. People who practice daily meditation are more centered, calmer. At the moment of danger your heart rate will still rise, but only slightly, keeping you much calmer to deal with whatever situation has just occurred and allowing any techniques that you have learned to come out.

This will also keep your mind focused, so that it's not running all over the place in fear. This is why Zen was so important to the Samurai while in battle. Without Zen meditation training, the Samurai would be worrying about getting killed instead of killing the enemy. This of course would result in their death. Moral opinion aside, Zen served the Samurai's purpose. On a more altruistic note, Zen can also give the defender the option of not killing or hurting the attacker. Since the defender is in control of his own mind, he is not just allowing chaos to determine the outcome of the altercation. This of course does not happen over night. We are talking about serious daily meditation and commitment. Just talking about it or stating that non-violence is part of your arts creed, does nothing.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the
best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the
most money, or the most awards They are the ones that care.

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today It's already tomorrow in Australia" (Charles Schultz)

I have a view on what martial arts teachers should teach; that is, what they should teach beyond the physical aspects of the martial arts. Perhaps you share this viewpoint with me?
I think a martial arts teacher needs to teach his or her students to use courage when it is needed. On a very base level, it takes courage to stand toe-to-toe with an opponent of equal or greater skill. However, summing up the courage it takes to fight or compete in a contest is just a drop in the bucket of what courage is really needed for in today's world.
If a martial arts teacher only manages to impart the idea of courage as it relates to kicking, punching, and grappling, well what an injustice it is to the student! It takes courage to go against the flow of popular opinion. It takes courage to try a new business venture when most fail within their first five years. It takes courage to live with integrity, to be a good parent, to be a good mate, to accept our blunders, to open our hearts to other people. It takes courage to do what is right, when the powers-that-be disagree.
The kind of courage we practice on the mat or in the ring is the drip coming from the kitchen faucet. The kind of courage we need to be fully aware and alive in the moment, in our lives, and in the lives of those around us, is the Colorado River in spring. How shallow is the thinking of a martial arts teacher whose lessons only involve the technical aspects of fighting?
To teach courage in a way that is powerful and lasting, one must take a look at courage on a global scale; as there is courage –and then there is Rosa Parks courage, Wangari Maathai courage, Martin Luther King courage, Aung San Suu Kyi courage.
Why is it that martial arts teachers embrace the most extreme forms of hand to hand combat without much thought, yet don't approach the idea of teaching courage from a big-picture (global) perspective?  I think it's simply a matter of improper focus -and inadequate influences. We become so insulated in our schools that we begin to think the mat and the ring is the world –and out of the desire to teach people the skills of the martial arts, we have forgotten how unimportant they are, unless applied, courageously, to the world outside of the dojo.
It takes courage to look at injustice –and more courage to do something about it. The courage it takes to be a warrior is wasted, if the battles aren't worth fighting. In the Ultimate Black Belt Test, each participant is required to profile 10 living heroes. The reason for this is to expose the instructor to a level of courage-in-the-world that puts the subject of what courage is in proper perspective.
My 10 Living heroes are The Dalai Lama; Thich Nhat Hahn; Wangari Maathai; Aung San Suu Kyi; Julia Hill; Muhammad Yunus; Nelson Mandela; Shirin Ebadi; Pamela Dorr; and Sarah Chayes. These are (some of) the masters of courage like Kano, Ueshiba, and Funakoshi were the masters of their respective disciplines. When you look at courage from their perspective, you get a much better grip on what courage is –and how it might be used in the world.
The kind of courage it takes to practice and compete in the martial arts is worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 to $250 a month. The kind of courage it takes to make change in the world cannot be measured in dollars, but it is exactly the kind of teaching that a martial arts instructor has the opportunity to address --and, if he or she is wise enough, this is the kind of teaching that takes a martial arts school from a business --to an institution.

If you (Mr. and Ms. Martial Arts Teacher) want your lessons to hold a higher value, then get out of your school and get into the world --and then get the world to come onto your mat.

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY, BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc. are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

(PLEASE FORWARD IT TO PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT)

CANCER UPDATE FROM JOHN HOPKINS HOSPITAL , U S - PLEASE READ

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave.

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

5 things you might never have known your cell phone could do!
 This works.
FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NEVER HAVE KNOWN YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO!
There are a few things that can be done in times of emergencies.
 Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for Survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

  FIRST:
  *Emergency*
  The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out Of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the
Emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed Even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
 
  SECOND:
  *Have you locked your keys in the car?*
  Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday.
Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the Spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your Cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have
The person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile Phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive Your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles
Away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, You can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
   *Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car Over a cell phone!
   THIRD:
  *Low Battery*
  Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#.
   Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your Cell next time.
   FOURTH:
  *How to Disable a STOLEN Mobile Phone?*
  To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on Your phone: * # 0 6 #. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This Number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give Them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the Thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally use less. You
Probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole It can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point In people stealing mobile phones.
   And Finally....
 
 FIFTH
 ***********Free Directory Service for Cells **************
  Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 Information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a Telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of
A problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply Dial:(800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.
Program this into your cell phone now.

  This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on To your family and friends.

Team Karate Centers proudly presents the:
2008 Black Belt Candidates

http://www.TKCBlackBelts.com

Looking forward to your feedback.

Team Karate Centers

To Mom and Dad
A letter to parents - from an old martial art teacher - about martial arts lessons and children.

By Tom Callos

I'm going on 50 years old, which really isn't that old, but to talk to you about what a child, your child, stands to learn from taking martial arts lessons, it's old enough. I took my first lesson at the age of 9, received by first degree black belt at 19, and this year I will celebrate my 30th year of teaching and assistant teaching the martial arts.

I'm going to condense my experience into a few hundred words for you; the goal is to give you the 30-year perspective on what I have learned as a
result of my training - and what I know your child will learn, should you decide to make the martial arts a part of his or her life.

In some ways, martial arts schools are all the same. Each school is going to be contained in some kind of space, like a shopping mall, a free-standing building, a room in a gym, in an office building, a garage, or maybe on a stretch of lawn in a park or in someone's backyard. What makes
a martial school great is not the space it is in, although as parents we want the school to be clean and safe; what makes or breaks a martial
arts school is the people that fill that space.

Here lies the primary reason to enroll - and then keep - your child in martial arts lessons, from the moment they first meet the age requirements of a school, until they leave your nest: The people.

The teachers (and students) in a martial arts school become leaders, heroes, role models, and friends to your child; and while martial arts
teachers, like every kind of teacher, have their various strengths and weaknesses, their influence and friendship is worth every penny you will
ever spend on tuition, times 10.
I remember my teachers, I remember the senior students in my classes, I remember my classmates and the students who joined after me. I remember when I was 12-years-old and a red belt student, a man in his mid 20's, told me, nonchalantly, that "practice was the key to being a great martial artist –or a great anything." I can hear his voice as if he told me that yesterday - and the advice has shaped my life. My father probably told me the same thing a 1000 times, but who listens to their parents –until much later in life?
A martial arts teacher is a real man or woman; they're not heroes fabricated by the entertainment industry. These are real people that will be there,
in their classes, day after day, patient, persistent, and persuasive. Their message is about consistent effort, about perseverance, about focus and goals and defense and self-control. Even teachers who can't speak English can, with an uncanny ability delivered through their coaching, translate values and powerful and life-changing ideas to their students.
The kind of education a good martial arts teacher provides a young person is different from anything they will learn in grade school, from parents, or
from football, soccer, or gymnastics coaches.
The magic that forms in the long term relationship between a martial arts teacher and his or her students makes them an incredibly valuable, but
all too often unacknowledged, part of "the village" that can help raise your child to be confident, self-disciplined, resilient, and resourceful.
Literally thousands of adults have told me, long after they stopped practicing the martial arts, what a powerful and positive influence their
martial arts teacher was, and still is, in their life.
I concur. Even the teachers that I came to think were inadequate, when I look back, I realize were a gift.
I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude for helping me develop respect for my self and others, for helping me build by body, develop
my coping skills, and for the confidence their constant attention and direction gave me.
It took me a long time to understand the value of their friendship, but oh, now, I so completely get it. What a blessing! I would hope that every child would have the chance to interact with teachers like I had, men and women who coached and fixed and taught and laughed and yelled and, as I now understand, loved.

The second most valuable reason to have your child studying the martial arts, any style, any method, is the philosophy that goes with the
training. Every style, every teacher of any skill, has something positive to teach your child.
Some, of course, do it much better than others, but whether they know it or not, they are imparting wisdom of the most extraordinary kind –and at a
time in a child's life that they really need it.

I can still hear my teacher's words:

"Eyes straight ahead! Focus!"
"It's ok to be afraid, just don't let it stop you from moving and trying!"
"What are the two qualities of a champion?"
We would answer, shouting, "Attention to detail and follow through, sir!"
"Real bravery isn't found in fighting! It's found in not fighting!"
"Attention! Pay your respect!"
Pay your respect, indeed.
Mom, Dad, every lesson is important and it's worth every penny, every minute you spend convincing your son or daughter that going to
class that day is better than watching TV; it's worth every bump, bruise, stubbed toe, and every tear.

The good times, the victories, the understanding of the value of finally breaking through a barrier, the friendships, the little kids, the teenagers, the
parents, and the old folks - it's so good, so very worthwhile, and so needed in today's world, that I had to write you about it. I had to encourage you –and try to give you the big-picture perspective on the martial arts. If you can swing it, get your child into a martial arts school and keep them
there, even when they don't recognize the value of what they're doing.
They will, someday.

With strength of character
Nothing is impossible.
When your heart expands
To embrace the impossible,
You are able to lead with Tao.

Lao Tzu

I began my journey in life and self-discovery in a small, worn-down Dojang in Seoul, Korea. My life was set in motion and destiny etched into the fiber of my being from the very first breath I consumed. My father, my mentor, my master has transferred the energy of his passion into my body. He has single handedly rekindled the "Spirit of the Hwa Rang®" into the modern society. His passion and vision of spreading this ancient body of knowledge throughout the world did not come without consequences. His master, Suahm Dosa, ordered my father to pass down the knowledge of the Hwa Rang only to his family and not to teach it to the public. My father, in his ambitious nature, wanted to share with the rest of the world, the full benefits of Hwa Rang Do® and could not contain it within himself as a secret.

In this one action, my father changed the modern history of martial arts, as we know it. It has brought formidable challenges as well as immense joys into our lives. After being disappointed with the Korean government, when President Park accepted the proposal from General Choi to make Tae Kwon Do a national sport, my father left the country. He realized that fulfilling the dream of teaching Hwa Rang Do® world-wide could only be accomplished when the most influential nation could be persuaded. This brought him and our family to the United States. I would then call America my home.

This brought new challenges into our lives, which we were not prepared for. For the first time I understood what racism is. I never knew at the young age of nine years old that a person could be discriminated against because of the color of his skin - something I could not alter even if I wanted to. Many times I felt bitter and angry that my father brought us to America. As I began to understand and realize my potential as a human being, not Korean, not white, not colored, I became empowered through education and Hwa Rang Do®.

It was at this point that I realized that a person must be strong both in mind and body. Without advances in both areas of one's life, true confidence and empowerment cannot be possible. First you must gain the knowledge to know what you want, then have the power and the abilities to act. A human being is not all mind nor all body, but a single working unit of the most intricate orchestration of both. With this realization, I started to train intensely as well as excel in the educational institutions.

I then entered college with the goal of becoming a lawyer, fulfilling my father's wishes. This he thought would be of most benefit to Hwa Rang Do®. Understanding that in today's society the pen is truly mightier than the sword, I attempted to honor my father's wishes. However, I maintained my Hwa Rang Do® training as well as my education. Even earlier in my secondary school years, I started a Hwa Rang Do® club in school as well as instructing a P. E. class. Along with these commitments, I also managed and taught a Dojang, located in the City of Laguna Hills. Hwa Rang Do® and education became my life. At the University of Southern California, I once again started a Hwa Rang Do® Club during my freshman year. This was an awesome experience to teach in an arena of highly motivated people with the greatest aptitude for learning. I proceeded to establish the Intercollegiate Hwa Rang Do® Society, which led to other clubs. Hwa Rang Do® clubs were created at University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at Irvine, University of California at Riverside, University of California at San Diego and California State Long Beach. It was at this time that I realized the fruition of what I learned earlier, that intellectual study and martial art are inseparable. The needs of the mind and the needs of the body must both be met.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, I set out into the real world. I came to the decision that I wanted to teach more than anything and I would not attend Law School. I wanted to teach Hwa Rang Do®. I have seen what it can do to others and experienced what it did for me. This decision disappointed my father, wanting a better life for his children through higher learning. This decision would not be fulfilled without a price.

I had the opportunity to work in a mental hospital where I was teaching Tai Chi and physical therapy to patients of the Adult Survivors of Child Abuse and Co-dependency Unit. This exposed me to a world that I never knew existed. I learned of the most atrocious acts of inhumanity, which made me disillusioned about people and questioned my spiritual faith. I realized from this experience that the development of the "self" must also include the heart. My journey to understanding the essential needs of human beings to maximize their life was becoming complete. Now, the challenge was to make the connection and motivate others in understanding the full benefits of the martial arts training and incorporate it into their lives.

In the spring of 1994, I came across an old Tae Kwon Do school that was up for lease. With a small loan, I leased the building. It was really run-down and there was much work to be done. I took on the challenges and with the help of one of my first students at my first dojang whom I knew for the past 20 years, we started to tear down walls and build. Two years later with a student body of over 250, we had our grand opening. It was a great success.

It was at this point, that my father, my master, accepted my decision to teach and follow in his footsteps. It was my choice, but I must thank my father, my teacher, for instilling within me the strong values of character at a young age. Without his strength, unyielding spirit and most importantly his love, I could not have matured into the person I am today, a teacher. I dedicate this web site to my father and his dedication to the betterment of humankind through these ancient teachings of the Hwa Rang.

"A Teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

Henry B. Adams

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a famous writer from Columbia. He is a Nobel Peace prize winner for literature and is undoubtedly a genius.  He has retired from public life for reasons of health. He has a form of cancer which is terminal. He has sent a farewell letter to all his friends and it is being circulated on the Internet.

It is recommended reading because it is moving to see how one of the best and most brilliant of writers expresses himself and with sorrow. It is so introspective about life's choices; it should be shared by all.

HE STATES:

If God, for a second, forgot what I have become and granted me a little bit more of life, I would use it to the best of my ability. I wouldn't possibly say everything that is in my mind, but I would be more thoughtful of all I say.

I would give merit to things not for what they are worth, but for what they mean to express. I would sleep little, I would dream more, because I know that for every minute that we close our eyes, we waste 60 seconds of light. I would walk while others stop; I would awake while others sleep.

If God would give me a little bit more of life, I would dress in a simple manner.  I would place myself in front of the sun, leaving not only my body, but my soul naked at its mercy. To all men I would say how mistaken they are when they think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing that they grow old when they stop falling in love.

I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them to learn how to fly by themselves. To old people I would say that death doesn't arrive when they grow old, but with forgetfulness.

I have learned so much with you all, I have learned that everybody wants to live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is obtained in the journey taken and the form used to reach the top of the hill. I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with its little hand,
his father's finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life. I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground.

Say always what you feel, not what you think. If I knew that today is the last time that I am going to see you asleep, I would hug you with all my strength and I would pray to the Lord to let me be the guardian angel of your soul. If I knew that these are the last moments to see you, I would say "I love you". There is always tomorrow, and life gives us another  opportunity to do things right; but in case I am wrong, and today is all that is left to me, I would love to tell you how much I love you and that I will never forget you.

Tomorrow is never guaranteed to anyone, young or old. Today could be the last time to see your loved ones, which is why you mustn't wait; do it today, in case tomorrow never arrives. I am sure you will be sorry you wasted the opportunity today to give a smile, a hug, a kiss, and that you were too busy to grant them their last wish.

Keep your loved ones near you; tell them in their ears and to their faces how much you need them and love them. Love them and treat them well; take your time to tell them "I am sorry"; "forgive me", "please", "thank you", and all those loving words you know.

Nobody will know you for your secret thought. Ask the Lord for wisdom and strength to express them. Show your friends and loved ones how important they are to you.

Your Friend
Gabriel Garcia Marquez.