Parents & Teachers Guide for Programming Kids!
Samurai-Type Training Could Help Kids Succeed
Japanologist and author Boyé Lafayette De Mente says that samurai-type training should be introduced into educational systems worldwide, and has published a “samurai training manual” to help achieve that goal.
Internationally known for his books on Japanese culture and a recognized authority on the way of the samurai, the Paradise Valley, Arizona-based author has identified the principles and practices that made up the educational and training process of samurai youths and published them in a book entitled: Samurai Principles & Practices That Will Help Preteens & Teens in School, Sports, Social Activities & Choosing Careers.
The book covers all of the basics of the samurai training—setting goals, discipline, diligence, perseverance, respect for others, self-respect, personal appearance, keeping things in order, living frugally, using intuitive and emotional intelligence, and tapping into cosmic
power.
Japan’s famous samurai warriors ruled the country from 1192 until 1868. De Mente notes that during the latter centuries of their reign their training went beyond martial arts to include such cultural pursuits as poetry, painting, calligraphy, history, philosophy and social behavior, making them one of the most remarkable groups of people the world has ever seen.
De Mente says that training in karate, kendo (“the way of the sword”) and meditation are paths to learning the skills, morality and motivation that made the samurai so successful, and recommends that this training be incorporated into the educational system of Western countries.
“The present-day systems of parenting and educating in the U.S. and elsewhere obviously fail to provide the physical, intellectual and emotional framework that youths need to even approach their full potential,” he says.
De Mente makes the obvious point that parents and teachers must take the lead in creating the opportunity necessary to build the 26 positive samurai-like qualities into the mindset and behavior of students.
The primary thrust of the book is, in fact, aimed at parents—with the goal of convincing them that one of the best things they can do for their preteens and teens is enroll them at a karate dōjō.
The book is available from Amazon.com for $9.95. Put ISBN number 0914778994 into the Search Box and click on GO and the book buy page will come up.
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Boyé Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Asia since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, journalist and editor. He is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo, Japan and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona, USA. In addition to books on the business practices, social behavior and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico he has written extensively about the plague of male dominance and the moral collapse of the U.S. and the Western world in general. Recent books include: CHINA Understanding & Dealing with the Chinese Way of Doing Business; JAPAN Understanding & Dealing with the NEW Japanese Way of Doing Business; AMERICA’S FAMOUS HOPI INDIANS; ARIZONA’S LORDS OF THE LAND [the Navajos] and SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! To see a full list of his 60-plus books go to: www.authorsonlinebookshop.com. All of his titles are available from Amazon.com.
Books & Columns by Boyé Lafayette De Mente 