Sensei Paul

My orange-belted granddaughter is taking a karate course and I am quite impressed with her Sensei (Japanese for most senior) He tells his group of twenty or thirty munchkins in his karate class something ... and they respond with a loud chorus of, "Yes, sir!" He and his multi-colored belted associates teach their students how to defend themselves and they dutifully follow their instructions at this school West of Boston. It is, in this age of childhood self-indulgence, refreshing to see them learning discipline ... both physical and mental.

You probably can imagine the physical part. But the mental discipline comes at the end of the physical workout when Sensei Paul gives them an object lesson in self-improvement ... be it keeping your word or self-discipline or helping others. One recent lesson that impressed me was about bullying. Why you shouldn't bully and how to deal with people who try to bully you or your friends. All very thought through and effectively communicated .... punctuated with, "Yes, sit!" His life lessons are simple but are not drivel. They reflect the kind of discipline that engenders karate.

And when the hour's lessons are over, Sensei Paul's  students rush to line up to shake his hand and usually receive Sensei's personal encouragement. The image that pops into my head is of the Pied Piper. But in this case he is leading his rapt students to a better and more grounded life.

It's quite encouraging to see even a small slice of American life moving in this positive direction.