Anywhere In The World

I finally submitted my application for the black belt test next Saturday. In addition to the paperwork, I was asked to submit two copies of my picture ID and 4 ID size pictures. They would be for the school, USTU (I think they're called USA Taekwondo now), and Kukkiwon in Korea. They will have a record of me on file. My master said to me that this is official - I will be recognized as a black belt anywhere in the world.

Sure, it's just a piece of paper. Some people think it's just a money-making scheme. My last instructor was like that. He never officially got his black belt. He claimed that his master handed it to him one day for a competition. Even when he was offered documents to send to Korea, he refused because it "goes agaist his principles."

A piece of paper can help, and not having one can really hurt you and others. What about a marriage license? Couples can have a loving, meaningful relationships without any piece of paper, but can they be legally recognized as a married couple? What about a driver's License? You might be able to learn how to drive, but do we really want someone who didn't go through the proper training to be driving? Do we want unlicensed clinicians conducting therapy? Unlicensed doctors doing surgeries? A person can just go buy a black belt and call himself/herself a black belt, representing the sport of Taekwondo.

So yes, it's good for it to be official.