Lessons from "The Karate Kid"

Happy new year everyone! I believe strongly that 2013 would be a major milestone in this journey of L-I-F-E for us all. May God help us to make the most of the opportunities we have.


The first time I saw this Harald Zwart movie, it was born out of the euphoria of a a few things - new movie, theatre experience (it was my first time at that particular cinema) and I was newly married to the love of my life! This excitement transcended any disappointment that could have cropped up at any point in the process of seeing the movie (not that there was any); I enjoyed the movie thoroughly and vowed to see it again. However, the fact that the running time goes beyond 130 minutes did not encourage me to embark on this early enough. And then I caught the movie on TV recently and I could not help but take a few notes.



Set largely in China with the permission of the Chinese government, The Karate Kid was produced by Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz. The movie stars Will's son Jaden, Taraji P. Henson and kungfu expert, Jackie Chan.

A remake of the 1984 movie of the same title, The Karate Kid is the story of a strong-willed 12 year old who relocated to China with his mother and soon runs into trouble with a kungfu prodigy and his group. Of course, there is a love-story twist as Dre, the karate kid, has a crush on a Chinese girl who is friends with his tormentor.

Some of the lessons I learnt are listed below:

1) A resilient spirit is a raw material for success. Dre was obviously in no position to win his first fight with Cheng, his tormentor, but he was not too afraid to get up again each time he was beaten to try again.
2) Warfare isn't about fighting to win or inflict pain, it is about making peace.
3) Discipline: To succeed, Dre had to first learn to take instructions.
4a) Learn to stick to a routine - Dre's coat-hanging drill
4b) Add some flair (attitude) to your routines. You will find it interesting too.
5) Be respectful: You need to show respect to everyone.
6) Don't intrude on others' territories; seek their permission
7) Focus; always fix your eyes on the goal
8) "Everything is kungfu; how we treat other people, how you put your jacket off and on". Your warfare is a function of all your habits.
9) You need to believe that your are unconquerable. How you see yourself on the inside determines the results to get on the outside.
10) At the top of your act, being still in your head & mind are essential tools for success - you can move mountains. The lady from Dre's expedition with his mentor, Mr Han, was able to get the cobra to imitate her.
11) When you think you know to focus, check again!
12) Learn anticipation; expect the otherwise unexpected.
13) Too much of anything is not good. Take a break - learn to have fun!
14) Learn empathy; be compassionate!
15) 'Be angry and sin not' - Never be so angry as to losing control! [The scripture was not quoted in the movie, that is just me]
16) It is okay to make mistakes; but you must never stay defeated! Life will knock you down, but you must make the choice to get up.
17) Sometimes the things you love can be distracting; learn to create a balance.
18) To win, you do not necessarily need to know all the rules of the game, the well-grounded principles will do.
19) When you begin to win, do not get carried away; remember the ground rules - your guiding principles.
20) Fear exists, only where you let it.
21) Empty your mind; focus!
22) Even when you are broken, it is not over until you give up
23) The greatest enemy you have to fight is the fear of failure!
24) Abide by the truth, in the end, even evil will bow to the more honourable approach to things.

I know the above is quite a list and to relate with them all, you would probably need to see the movie (again! if you have seen it before).

It is interesting to note that these lessons are based on scripture and many principles of psychology. Taking them to heart will definitely be useful and productive for 2013.

Cheers!