Kicking the Limitations

If this great article doesn't speak to your emotions, then you and I probably wouldn't have too much to talk about.

It's about 29-year-old Jesse Richardson from Dayton Ohio — who has spent a lifetime kicking right through the limitations that come with Down syndrome. It describes the way he finally earned his black belt in taekwondo.

Just a few nights earlier, in front of another crowd, he had slowly read through his report on what the art meant to him. It had taken Jesse half an hour to get through the 250 words, but his sincerity and determined effort had brought many to tears.

I've said it before, and I'll repeat it - this, to me, is a big part of what the martial arts is all about. It is a way to help people achieve something valuable to themselves as well as the people around them; and consequently, to the society at large.