Traits of the mind have their uses, and can be used for good, or for ill.
Assuming that we lump in "ego" and "pride" together into a single category, this is something that has its positive and negative aspects, and it's up to the individual to decide how to use it.
One's pride in his own self is something that can drive a given student to push himself harder, to become better than he was previously. By all means, this can be, and should be, encouraged.
On the other hand, one's pride in his own self can be dangerous thing. If a given student is constantly trying to compare himself to the other students, there's always a chance that snobbery and complacency can develop. Such types of pride should be checked at the dojo door, since they don't belong on the floor.
All of my martial arts teachers have had this common lesson that I'll repeat to my students on a regular basis. The martial arts is not about making person X a superior combatant over person Y. It's not a matter of who is bigger, faster, stronger, etc. The primary person a student should ever be directly compared to, is his own self from a previous time, whether it's just from an hour ago, or even years ago.
Assuming that we lump in "ego" and "pride" together into a single category, this is something that has its positive and negative aspects, and it's up to the individual to decide how to use it.
One's pride in his own self is something that can drive a given student to push himself harder, to become better than he was previously. By all means, this can be, and should be, encouraged.
On the other hand, one's pride in his own self can be dangerous thing. If a given student is constantly trying to compare himself to the other students, there's always a chance that snobbery and complacency can develop. Such types of pride should be checked at the dojo door, since they don't belong on the floor.
All of my martial arts teachers have had this common lesson that I'll repeat to my students on a regular basis. The martial arts is not about making person X a superior combatant over person Y. It's not a matter of who is bigger, faster, stronger, etc. The primary person a student should ever be directly compared to, is his own self from a previous time, whether it's just from an hour ago, or even years ago.
