Remember Sensei Miyagi? Karate Kid movie?
For many of us, it was the best movie in the 80s. I still remember my first karate class imagining that one day I could be like Daniel.
The film inspired a whole generation of martial artists. Often wondered how many champions were the byproduct of the movie. It would be wrong to say that I'm any champion but have won a couple of medals back in the days. All thanks to the film.
For all the martial art champions and fans out there, Netflix made a pleasant surprise this year. The Cobra Kai series. An answer to what happened 34 years after the movie. The beautiful story was unfolding, and I binge-watched it with my heart.
The movie helped us champion waxing up, waxing down, and some kick-ass moves. The series did something else. It helped us to champion a couple of interesting views. Here are my reflections:
#1 Rewrite your rules
How much the rules prevent us from growing?
We all live by our own rules, but how often do we rewrite them? I took the liberty to rewrite Cobra Kai's rules. I didn't believe in Cobra Kai's original rules when I started practicing martial arts, and I still don't. But what if you believed in those rules your whole life and suddenly felt the need to change them? That would be a massive shift in your posture. From No Mercy to Show Mercy. From Strike First to Strike First with your heart. From Strike Hard to Strike Hard with your kindness. For more than 34 years, the old belief system trapped Johnny Lawrence. And while his worldview was changing, the old rules were holding him back. It takes courage to leap forward. As hard as it might be, Johnny found his way to rewrite his own rules.
#2 Unlock the past
Are we stuck in our past?
Johnny got stuck in the past, in one of the defining moments of his life. And he couldn't move forward after that. He saw himself as a loser, and this view dominated the next 34 years of his life. We don't get many defining moments in our life. I can mention only a few that changed my life. Not all were great, but it is on us to see them either positive or negative, regardless of the outcome. If we turn each defining moment into learning, we cannot be stuck but always moving forward. This wasn't the case with Johnny. He had someone to blame for everything that happened to him. He was going back to the defining moment more than thinking about moving forward. Nothing changed for 34 years. And then a forward motion happened. Regardless, 34 years is a long time to be stuck in one moment of your life. It doesn't matter if you have touched the stars or touched rock bottom.
#3 Don't judge
Do we judge too often and too quickly?
In most of the cases, we are all trigger-happy to judge. If you have seen the movie, you would hate Johnny Lawrence. He represented everything that you don't want to be.
Lawrence and Daniel were on two opposite ends. One good and one bad. Movies usually portray things this way. Everything is black and white, with no shades. Series gives us more nuances as we spend more time with characters. And we have spent more time with Johnny to see him in a different light. It was enough to change our initial judgment. The problem with judging is that it is setting everything in stone. There are no movements, change of views, or heart. Going through life with this rigidity only limits our understanding and experience. In a world that is craving for empathy, we cannot be judgmental but open-hearted. And this should apply to individuals and organizations as well.
#4 Practice open-heartedness
How often do you listen with your heart?
While everyone talks about empathy, I like to call it open-heartedness. Practicing open-heartedness requires one thing, an egoless view. "It's not about you" is something that we should be chanting in our heads. When it's about you, in a split of a second, you will start judging. As soon as you start judging, everything is set in stone. Hence, it is not about you, what you think and how you feel. Getting closer to see the world as others do is the beautiful practice of open-heartedness. Whether we were aware or not by watching the Cobra Kai series, we did exactly that. How many of us started liking Johnny, something that was unthinkable 34 years ago? How come that most of us changed our opinion about him? If nothing else, the series helped us to stop judging and start feeling how Johnny sees the world around him. What a beautiful gift. Let's not restrict ourselves to Johnny. How about we begin practicing this with our partners, our loved ones? And then, with friends and neighbors. Let's go even further. How about people who cheer for the opposite club or people who voted for another candidate?
Season 3 is premiering on Jan 8, 2021. I cannot wait to binge-watch it! There is a plan for season 4, for my delight. Guess that I will be adding a couple more reflections to this article. However, let's not wait (34 years) to change ourselves and rewrite our own rules.
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