الأربعاء، 5 نوفمبر 2008

Fatherly Advice: Raising the Rebellious


Editors Note: Some parents may feel at a loss this Ramadan and some parents might have given up a long time ago. Growing up in the city is not as easy as it seems and it doesn’t get easier with streetwise adolescent boys who stopped listening to their parents a long time ago and Ramadan is just something that is done once a year around the dinner table.
The Ramadan football match has become the release of energy for the young after iftar, but “The art of energy management is no stranger to Islam. In the past for Chinese Muslims, the martial arts were a means to bring the inner jihad into a tangible method of self development. Many reports have shown that the proper learning of martial arts has helped troubled youths claim and earn self-respect and understanding. The enemy within is tamed and understood. … The leaders of the Hui, a Muslim minority of five million, called on the people to learn wushu as a ‘holy practice in the struggle for survival and self-improvement.’ During the `Eid Al-Fitr and the Prophet’s birthday, the Hui local mosques held wushu contests or exhibitions” (Self Development Through the Martial Arts).
Of course Ramadan is the month of blessings: the rewards are doubled, the devils are chained, the gates of Paradise are opened, and the doors of Hell are closed. But for today’s young, such concepts lack excitement and distraction, so the martial arts of energy management can be a useful medium to develop the mind of a rebel without a cause.
People study martial arts for various reasons, including competition, fitness, self-defense, self-cultivation (meditation), and self-confidence. Martial arts in Ramadan is a practical tool for the young to grab hold of in Ramadan; afterward the subtle level of martial arts can be used to enhance the level of self-awareness and self-reflection that are a natural part of Ramadan.
As a trainer, I prefer the hour before iftar; when there is a real desire to eat, training can heighten one’s level of awareness. Yet training can be as beneficial after Tarawih when the opportunity to train follows a satisfied hunger.
Martial arts not only serve one’s physical fitness. They make one more healthy, more self-confident, and keep one away from bad habits like alcohol and smoking. Martial arts increase self-understanding and make one stronger, bringing one closer to Allah.

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