The Five Tenets of Taekwondo: Indomitable Spirit

This is the final installment focusing on the tenets of Taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit. A good Taekwondo school will insist that its students exemplify all these traits. Understanding the meaning and purpose of each tenet is key to becoming a martial artist in both mind and body.

Indomitable spirit defined

According to the Cambridge dictionary, the phrase “indomitable spirit” is used to describe someone who is “strong, brave, determined, and difficult to defeat.” I enjoy the study of Latin, so I especially appreciate the definition given by the Korean Martial Arts Academy: “indomitable comes from domitare in Latin, which means to tame. So, indomitable means that which cannot be tamed or dominated, that which cannot be beaten. Spirit refers to that which is within…”  

To me personally, the tenet of indomitable spirit represents the will to keep going even when a positive outcome is unlikely. It means refusing to let age determine what I can do (I’m almost 50 years old, but this could apply to any age). An indomitable spirit means never giving up.

The four previous tenets of Taekwondo lead to an indomitable spirit

If courtesy leads to integrity, and integrity leads to perseverance, and perseverance leads to self-control, then we’re left with indomitable spirit as the capstone of the 5 tenets of Taekwondo. Martial artists who fail to practice any of the first four (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, or self-control) are unlikely to possess an admirable indomitable spirit. As discussed in the first installment of this series, courtesy is the visible manifestation of integrity. Courtesy is the soft blanket that allows another person to receive the (sometimes difficult) honesty that comes with integrity.

Integrity is “intertwined with honor, and honor within a dojang is critical to ensure that an environment that allows martial artists to train to their full potential is cultivated.”  Similarly, a martial artist with an indomitable spirit must persevere so they can continue to do or achieve despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.

It’s hard to imagine being “strong, brave, determined, and difficult to defeat,” as exemplified by a martial artist with an indomitable spirit without possessing self-control—the fourth tenet of Taekwondo. The act of persevering naturally leads to self-control and, finally, an indomitable spirit.

Indomitable spirit in children

Young children naturally have the beginning inclinations of an indomitable spirit. It’s critical for their development (for example, you can see this in small children as they fall, get up, fall, get up, and then finally learn to walk). Although I defined indomitable spirit earlier, another definition that applies to children defines indomitable as “too strong to be subdued or discouraged; unconquerable.” I love that because, though children are born with the desire to be indomitable, the spirit must be cultivated as they grow and face the hardships and trials of life.

I recently saw a meme which I felt was applicable here. It read “strong-willed children become adults who can change the world, as long as we can hang on for the ride and resist the temptation to tame the spirit out of them (author unknown).” When a child develops an indomitable spirit by practicing the first 4 tenets of Taekwondo (courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self-control)—they will be unstoppable.

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