How many of you have been in a martial arts class and felt your partner was perfect? Or that a classmate seemed to have it all together?

I would wager that we have had those thoughts about another person. But, as most of us know by now, everyone struggles with something. Unfortunately, even though most know this, we are still caught off guard when tragedy strikes.

Such was the case of Cheslie Kryst, an entertainment reporter, former lawyer, and Miss USA 2019. Further, Ms. Kryst finished in the top ten of the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant. She seemingly had it all. But unfortunately, she recently took her own life at the age of 30. According to numerous reports, she suffered from depression, which led to her suicide.

Lamentably, this is not uncommon. The fact is that everyone has struggled, to some degree, during their lives. Everyone. We all have our good days and bad days. Some struggle with lifelong issues such as depression, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, trauma from childhood and other issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely exacerbated all of these issues.

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Different folks find different ways to cope with their struggles. One way is to join martial arts classes. Sure, more students participate for self-defence or competition reasons. Others may join for health or socialization reasons. Whatever the reason, every student has had life struggles. Some may have had childhood trauma. Others may have the boss from hell.

Side note: As many know, I was born deaf and attended the Clarke School for the Deaf until age 9.

Since then, I have often been the only deaf student at every educational level. I was the only deaf student in elementary, junior, and high school, one of three deaf students as an undergraduate at Notre Dame, and the only one in law school. Man, the law school years were rough, as they impacted my self-esteem big time; hoo boy.

Many students have spoken to me over the years and confided in me about their struggles. Of course, plenty of others never opened up to me. But I have heard enough over the years to know it is pretty probable that everybody is not perfect. Nobody is. Everybody has struggled at some point in their lives. Everybody. Knowing this has informed my approach as a martial arts instructor.

So when a student confides that they are struggling with something, I am no longer surprised. It’s quite possible that every person, to one degree or another, is walking wounded.

So the next time you work with someone who seems “perfect,” remind yourself that is probably not the case. Try to understand others and be merciful toward others as much as you can be.

My YouTube Shorts

As mentioned in a few posts, I have been publishing YouTube Shorts, which is YouTube’s attempt to compete with TikTok.

Here’s the updated playlist of my YouTube Shorts. Every video is 30 seconds or less.

If you cannot click on the above playlist, click here.

On the other hand, if Instagram is more up your alley, follow me there!

Additional Reading