In answer to your question about how do we get to rest, I'd ask - how do you ever get anything done?
We actually work when we're at work, compared to (from what I've read) the USA where people spend more time socializing when at work. It also seems to me that the USA is more of a workaholic country, living to work, having created a culture where inconveniencing your employer by wanting to unwind and relax away stress is frowned upon, to the point where now you are threatened with losing your job just because you got sick.
After a year trying to get my computer business rolling, I have spent almost the whole week fixing peoples computers and getting monies for it! Finally, self-employment is beginning to pay well.
In answer to your question about how do we get to rest, I'd ask - how do you ever get anything done?
We actually work when we're at work, compared to (from what I've read) the USA where people spend more time socializing when at work. It also seems to me that the USA is more of a workaholic country, living to work, having created a culture where inconveniencing your employer by wanting to unwind and relax away stress is frowned upon, to the point where now you are threatened with losing your job just because you got sick.
This is what my Spanish relatives report. It is also why I might seek employment in the EU instead.
Today I finally finished typing a 56 page essay for my black belt test, which I am taking Sunday! I am so relieved I finished it in time.
I confess, I'm somewhat intrigued, Will you tell us more?
Yeah, sure. I've been doing Tae Kwon Do for about 7-8 years now. I was invited to test for my black belt back in March, and have been training physically for it since then. Half of the test is actual physical feats, such as running, kicking, forms, sparring, etc. The other half is an essay, composed of 24 parts. Some of the parts are about certain things done in Tae Kwon Do (sparring, pivoting, kihaping, and so on), other parts are more philosophical, such as conviction and mushin. Those two consist of about 2/3 of the essay. The last 1/3 is made up of essays about 8 different books (Hagakure, The Giver, The Miracle of Mindfulness, Henderson the Rain King, The Way of The Peaceful Warrior, Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Zen in th Martial Arts). I didn't start writing this essay until three weeks ago, because I had been so busy training and doing schoolwork. Today I just sat down and said to myself, "I have 8 book essays left, and the test is in two days. I will get it done today, and not do anything else until I am done." Thankfully, I was able to concentrate well enough to write 8 good essays. Once I finished those essays, I was so relieved. Now I can just relax tomorrow, instead of worrying about whether or not I would be able to finish my essay.
[long description of what it takes to get a TKD black belt]
Wow. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (the only art that has belts that I've got a lot of experience with) the only thing you have to do to get a black belt is be able to beat black belts.
[long description of what it takes to get a TKD black belt]
Wow. In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (the only art that has belts that I've got a lot of experience with) the only thing you have to do to get a black belt is be able to beat black belts.
Well, for better or worse, my school is the only school I know of where an essay needs to be written. Also, the test sounds harder than the test a friend of mine took at another school. Granted, his school gave him a black belt after 2 years and a forty-five minute test, so comparing the difficulty between a 45 minute test and a seven hour test doesn't really mean anything. In fact, I'm actually kind of curious as to what other schools have students do to test for a black belt. Is it a long test, or a short one? Is there an essay or not? Maybe someone else here could answer these questions if they have tested ofr a black belt in Tae Kwon Do?
Is it a long test, or a short one? Is there an essay or not? Maybe someone else here could answer these questions if they have tested ofr a black belt in Tae Kwon Do?
I have a second degree black belt in TKD. At my school it takes about 7-8 years to reach black belt level. The test consists of all of the forms, self defense routines, three different types of breaking (jump, speed [a board held only from one side] and power [cinder blocks]), kicking combinations, an endurance run, and you have you come up with a normal form, a weapons form, a knife self defense, and a weapons self defense. This all takes about five to six hours. As for non-physical requirements you have to have a ton of leadership experience under your belt, there is a quiz and a couple of short essay questions you have to pass before hand, and an essay that you read in front of the school describing your experiences, lessons learned, and philosophies through the lens of TKD.
Dude, that's pretty crazy. The day I moved from pure student to master of silat, my guru simply said, after a training session, "You're not just a student anymore. You have worked hard, learned well, and you are now good enough to teach someone else. You will always be a student of Silat, as the time you stop learning is the time you ensure your own defeat, but now, you are skilled enough to guide others on the path."
My cousin lives in Oslo and says it's awesome. But the Black Metal community in Norway is fucking terrifying.
Really? The country that produced Varg "I'm going to stab you in the fucking head" Vikernes has a terrifying black metal community? I never would have guessed. :P
Since this morning about 9 AM local time I am no longer a member of the roman-catholic church. I wanted to do this a long time since I hate those assholes, but now that they dared to actually ask me for money (or more or less they were asking me if they could call church tax in on me, me being a student and all) I finally went out and did it. Maybe a bit of fail for being too lazy to do it earlier, but I am really glad I officially no longer belong to this awful organization. Everyone in that child-molester-hiding hypocrite club can go fuck themselves for all I care.
Comments
I am glad I don't work in Korea...
EDIT: Why isn't China on this???