LETTER FORM GRAND MASTER (3)
Dear
disciples,
The iron hand
and the benevolent heart are also the symbols of bravery and compassion.
In our lives we
have often encountered actions which express bravery: a soldier overcomes obstacles and challenges in order to
complete his mission; sons and daughters overcome a difficult situation to care
for their ill and aged parents; a responsible person denies bribery and
temptation in order to complete the task.
All the above are symbols of courage,
endurance and responsibility which can be called the virtue of bravery.
But the virtue of bravery can be classified into two categories:
ordinary bravery and exceptional bravery, ordinary bravery expresses
immediate action or behavior in the way of opposing or not submitting to wrong.
Ordinary bravery is often created by the situation, by those who take
life and death lightly and confront danger and difficulty in order to resolve a
problem in a limited time. Exceptional bravery extends over a long period of
time. It appears through endurance
and patience to overcome the difficult situation with one’s confidence and
ease. There are some tasks, which
require a long time, or even a whole life, to complete.
That is called exceptional bravery.
Leading the
combat against the Mongols, HUNG DAO VUONG TRAN QUOC TUAN pointed his sword to
the Hoa River and swore, “If I fail to destroy the enemy, I will not return to
this river bank.” This is and
example of ordinary bravery created by the situation. Subsequently the Mongols
were led by THOAT HOAN to invade our country a second time when the country was
almost completely destroyed by the enemy and our armed forces had not recovered
nor were ready for combat. HUNG DAO
VUONG remained calm and he sharply delivered his speech to inspire the soldiers.
He called for the DIEN HONG conference.
He organized the armed forces with his slogan.
“The army is best with good fighting skills, not with large number,
“In the meeting with King TRAN NHAN TONG
to discuss how to repel the enemy, he declared.
“We can fight easily this year.” All the above is proof that HUNG DAO VUONG possessed exceptional bravery.
Exceptional bravery is sometimes recognized throughout one’s lifetime.
LE LOI fought against the Ming Dynasty.
The first five years he failed. His
wife and children were all massacred. He
patiently fought the war. Later he
changed his strategy: “avoid the
strong, attack the weak”. It took
five more years. Finally, he routed
the Ming forces out of the country. His
ten years of fighting represented his exceptional bravery.
Therefore, in our lives Vovinam disciples should posses both ordinary and
exceptional bravery. It depends
upon the situation for each application. With
ordinary bravery one can overcome obstacles easily at close range to prove the
heart of a martial artist. Furthermore,
one does not voice his opinion nor show his attitude under oppression, he could
not have peace of mind. He would
better express his statement to convince others that they were wrong and should
change their actions.
We also need
exceptional bravery. This virtue helps us in the way we could live an above
average life and we would live for others and for greater purpose.
However, we must single out the opportunists.
The people behave like a great gentleman.
They always avoid the everyday tasks.
They are not consistent. They
are very clever in interactions. They
never raise their voice for any discussion.
Their acts are just for profit and their voice own safety.
Ordinary and
exceptional bravery can be learned in everyday.
Life, such as a decision to quit smoking, rising carry, being studious,
being patient. Etc. We should have a concrete goal for our lives.
Those who are inconsistent, impatient, not thorough are barbarians and
small. They are out of the scope of
bravery. In order to be proud with
the title of Vovinam disciple, we would train ourselves with for virtues:
being true to one’s self, self-control. Being direct and being
responsible.
