Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 2

2.      The first step to our dream is to wake up.

We all have to start somewhere; to paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. In the world of dreams and fantasies, we can do anything—from beating the most powerful foe with one little finger, to executing the most difficult stunt. However, in the real world, nothing worthwhile is easily obtained.

In the movie, Po’s initial reception by the Furious Five and their master, Shifu, was anything but warm. He was ridiculed and poked fun at. In one scene, Tigress, his idol, told him straight in the face, “Look, you don’t belong here! You are a disgrace to kung fu!” In another scene, Shifu derided Po: “Look at you! This fat butt, flabby arms, and this ridiculous belly, and utter disregard for personal hygiene… Don’t stand too close, I can smell your breath!”

When I first started teaching, I also encountered critical comments from students (despite my good intentions and best efforts). Some of these comments included:

·  “he lacks confidence… should be more at ease”,

·  “need to improve on his presentation style... always reading straight from the slide. Not very clear during [the] lecture”,

·  “his lectures are not well organized. Notes are often out of order” 

·  “content [is] too dry and technical”.

Two negative responses to such criticisms would be denial and self-pity. Denial would involve rejecting negative feedback by rationalising that students do not know how to identify “good” and “bad” teaching; that their view of a good teacher is based primarily on popularity and showmanship rather than substance. Self-pity, on the other hand, would involve allowing the negative feedback to eat into one’s confidence and emotion, which could lead to depression and making excuses about one’s teaching skills. In the movie, a dejected Po cried,

“I suck! They totally hate me! How is Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I mean, I’m not like the Five. I’ve got no claws, no wings, no venom, even the mantis has this… Maybe I should just quit!” 

In short, critical words can break the confidence of a young apprentice. I am glad that Po did not quit despite such setbacks. If he had, his story would have ended there and then, and there would have been no “Kung Fu Panda”. I wonder how many stories have remained untold and dreams unfulfilled because someone said, “I quit!”

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.