Karate Kid

Though it has been many years since I saw it, I enjoyed the original version of the movie “The Karate Kid”.

SPOILER ALERT: What I am about to write gives away elements of the movie that would be better experienced by viewing the movie without reading about them first. I will do my best to avoid revealing the plot of the movie, or even many details, but I cannot proceed without giving certain things away.

Many of the things I enjoy about the movie involve a student and a teacher. The student, who wishes to acquire a set of physical skills, often disagrees with the teacher, who insists on imparting wisdom along with the physical skills.

Early in their relationship, the teacher orders the student to perform various repetitive tasks, seemingly unrelated to the student’s education. Later, we learn that each of the repetitive tasks was chosen specifically to help the student acquire the physical skills he was seeking.

This brings up the crucial point that I LOVE about the movie. The student, since he IS the “student”, does not clearly comprehend WHAT it is that he needs to learn, or how to learn it. This is a central point of great teacher/student relationships. IF the teacher knows things that the student does NOT know, then this gives the teacher extra insights that the student does not possess. For a student to assume that THEY know the things they need to learn, and the best way to learn them, contradicts the entire teacher/student notion.

I hasten to admit that I am speaking in philosophical, ideal terms, and the truth of the “real world” is more complicated. In the real world, teachers are not always wiser or more insightful than the students, and sometimes they do NOT know what it is that the student needs to learn, or the best way for the student to learn them. Still, a wise student should not rule out the possibility that the teacher possesses this extra insight.

I will close with one of my favorite quotes, not because it is particularly relevant, but because it is one of my favorite quotes -- sometimes identified as a Buddhist proverb:

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Truth is complicated.