The rub lies in wax on, wax off

On Wednesday, 40 years ago, the first Karate Kid movie was release. I was 16 and bowled over. Not by the fighting in the movie, but by the remarks of Daniel LaRusso’s wizened old coach, Mr Miyagi.

Could this be the only deep philosophy I will ever need in my life? All the deep philosophy that a young man needs in life packed into one movie?

“There is no such thing as bad student. Only bad teacher,” Mr Miyagi to Laruso in one scene. Or: “Lie become truth only if person want to believe it.”

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I carried Mr Miyagi’s philosophy with me through the next few years. I must say, a lot of them withstood the test of time.

Like: “Fighting is always the last answer to problem.” Or: “Never put passion in front of principle. Even if you win, you lose.”

But then, Mr Miyagi’s one-liners of wisdom started coming apart at the edges.

Sometimes it’s not the skinny kid with the philosopher in his corner who wins. Sometimes it’s the blond kid who works just as hard as the others, who wins the All Valley Championships and all the condensed wisdom in the world, all the mythical crane kicks you can dream up, can’t save you.

I asked myself that question in a few years again: could this be all the deep philosophy that a young man needs in life?

Unfortunately, the real answer is no.

This is pop culture, produced to entertain, not solve your pressing dilemmas.

Some of Miyagi’s quotes are created using truths, but some are remarks written with one single purpose: to create an interesting character in a karate movie.

Of course, I still love The Karate Kid to bits. I’ll watch it again this weekend.

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But some of Miyagi’s quotes will sound corny to me. And at the end of the movie, I’ll know the blond fighter deserved to win.

Without the clever quotes, without all the wax on, wax off. Sometimes one competitor knows: “You trust the quality of what you know, not quantity.”

He knows, unlike what Miyagi says, it does matter who’s stronger. Not who’s smarter.

Life has a way to reward those who work the hardest. Those with the bigger heart or the most determination. Not those who subscribe to kwasi-wisdom.