If you have ever seen some of the flats around Hong Kong’s Western District and the University of Hong Kong after international students have lived there for a year or two, you may notice a very real problem: many young people may be academically capable and well educated, yet know surprisingly little about basic daily life and how to look after themselves.
But this is not only a problem among international students.
Local children in Hong Kong can be just as seriously affected.
Many children today grow up without having to do household chores at all. Someone washes their clothes, clears the table after meals, tidies their room, and even picks things up for them when they are left on the floor.
Over time, they may learn a great deal from books, but not necessarily the most basic life skills. More importantly, they may never develop the habit of taking responsibility for their own things.
This is one of the reasons we believe children today need judo.
Judo is not simply about learning how to throw someone.
In the dojo, students have to take care of their own judogi, organise their belongings, follow rules, and respect their teachers and training partners. When they fall, they have to get back up. When they make a mistake, they try again.
No one can do everything for them forever.
These may seem like small things, but they are exactly the kind of lessons that are gradually disappearing from modern childhood.
Judo is not only a sport. Very often, what it teaches is life itself.
