What would the world be like if everyone looked for reasons to love instead of reasons to justify hate? What if everyone was forgiving and open to change? What if everyone supported everybody? For three years now, I have been training in a martial art called Shorinji Kempo that focuses on balancing philosophy and physical health together. The children’s book Tokuhon explains true strength is not about having the most muscle or being physically stronger than others: “true strength means to have unconceited self-confidence, courage, and readiness to act.” It is about having the unwavering passion, determination, and resilience to always love and strive to improve one’s self as well as the people around them. 

It is truly easy to hate or hurt others. Anyone can come up with a reason to be angry at another, or take a weapon to beat that other person with. That doesn’t make them strong at all, anyone can do that. But it does take strength to lend a hand to someone. It takes strength to empathize and then take action. It takes strength, wisdom, and willpower to find a reason to love, to see the good in the bad, and to open up to new perspectives. It takes strength to be able to resist our natural instincts that jump to negative assumptions and lead to prejudice. Yeah, it’s hard to say “I’m wrong,” especially if you thought you were right for many years. But what’s really wrong is harming others because you refuse to take a peek at another perspective.

Those who assume the best and not the worst, who have faith in themselves as well as others, and who can be there to support one another consistently without deteriorating themselves at the same time are the strongest people. Those are the type people who I look up to, who I admire and aim to be like one day. Helping others shows that you have mastered yourself. My dad has always taught me the three levels of self sufficiency: dependent, independent, and interdependent. At one point in life we are dependent on our parents. Then eventually we become independent; we are able to live on our own. Finally, there’s the extra step to become interdependent, to lift others up along with yourself as well. That’s where I want to be.