The Um and Yang of True Leadership by Tim Bennett, Sa bom Nim
A passionate leader is an obvious example of both strong and weak qualities. When I put myself in the position of vocal and driven leading, I am using only a small portion of the powers that are at my disposal. Our founder was a great leader. He studied many scholars including Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu had this to say about leadership, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” What better example of quiet, gentle leadership could there be than one who is barely noticed in the equation? My only experience as a Ko Dan Ja candidate was one that was full of awe with the experience and with the level of quality leadership that was provided by the TAC at the event. Now that I am in the unique position of wearing the blue belt with a red stripe, it is important that I portray the qualities that I admire in my seniors. The description of the belt that I wear is this – The combined colors represent Neh Khang Weh Yu (Inside Hard, Outside Soft) associated with the philosophy of Um and Yang, the harmony of finding balance between opposing forces. The Ko Dan Ja practitioner has come as close as is humanly possible to the peace of our Moo Do philosophy. It is my hope that I will continue to grow as a leader and as a practitioner of Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan and that I too will learn to be the type of leader that represents the belt that I so proudly wear.