The Serenity Prayer and Jiu-Jitsu

Have you heard the Serenity Prayer? It’s a prayer popularized by Reinhold Niebuhr. The Prayer goes:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

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1376417_586973288015070_1733432320_nI stumbled upon this prayer while watching the “The Flashpoint Paradox,” (Yes. I am a big fan of DC Comics. Especially the Flash), and I said to myself, “it is Jiu-Jitsu in its essence.” The lifestyle of Jiu-Jitsu is more of change, courage and peace of mind. Martial arts teaching us that the path to a deeper awareness of the self. The peaceful body bringing a peaceful mind. Wisdom of the ages does not immediately. It is through learning that we do.

In Acceptance there is Serenity

I have met a lot of Jiu-Jitsu black belts in my life (in Gracie Barra and from other groups). And a lot of them seem to possess one thing in common: they are well-adjusted. They have this ability to move past the feel are beyond their control quicker than others. They are serene in the understanding that there is no reason to hate, rant, or wallow on things that we cannot change.

They easily accept things easily such as death, tragedy, bad weather, or traffic.

Courage to Change the Old Self

serenity-prayerWhen one gets into Jiu-Jitsu, one has had the conscious decision to change oneself. To be involved into a sport that requires sacrifices for future rewards. The courage to change what needs changing. To be able to identify that old lifestyles give little or no value to the present. That acquiring the discipline to keep on changing is the key.

I have seen people whose lives changed because of Jiu-Jitsu. Was it Jiu-Jitsu that urged them to change? Not really. I believe Jiu-Jitsu is more like the road, and we are just travelers. We control our feet and where it will take us.

To the Wise Who Knows the Difference

The ability to discern between what we can control and what we can accept is the key to becoming happy. Don’t we all want our Jiu-Jitsu journey to be a peaceful one? we can start by teaching ourselves that acceptance is the key to our peace as Jiu-Jitsu artists.

Jiu-Jitsu for Everyone!

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