Saudara-saudara (Indonesian words for brothers and sisters), I want to begin by welcoming and congratulating you. By choosing this martial arts journey, you have chosen as a path toward becoming a winner and leader.
I would like to share some lessons from my experiences with the martial arts. I started learning Silat when I was 10 years old. Both my uncle, from my mother’s side, and my great-grandfather, from my father’s side, chose me to train under them. It was difficult at the time to understand why they
chose to train me in the martial arts, but now I know they wanted to pass their knowledge onto a new generation of students.
My great-grandfather was a direct descendent from the Mataram Kingdom. One of the first lessons he taught me was as a member of the royal family one should always be ready to become a king. He added that kings do not always come from the royal family and that everybody has the
opportunity to become a king, but to be a king, you must first be a winner.
Winning starts within ourselves. By learning martial arts, we prepare ourselves to face any challenges and to overcome any adversity. Winning is not about getting trophies; it is about being strong mentally, physically, and spiritually. While most people associate physical and mental training with the martial arts, they often overlook spiritual training. This third aspect is about self-reflection, and it helps us to realize how to become a winner for ourselves.
Later, my great-grandfather taught me about the 4 T’s: Trisna (love), Tentrem (peace/liberty),Trenginas (survival/life), and Trampil (learning). Every martial arts journey begins with love, specifically learning how we can love ourselves and each other. Next, by learning to liberate ourselves
from fear, we can attain an inner peace. Survival is our will to live, and this instinct is what makes each of us winners. Lastly, learning means many things – more things than we will ever know. Because there is no limit to what we can learn, our journey for knowledge and understanding never end.
The lessons above show both how I began with the martial arts and how I continue down this path today. These first bits of advice helped to guide me to where I am today. I hope this glimpse into
my life can help you start on your own journey into the martial arts. Again, I want to say welcome and congratulations.
You are a winner!
Daniel Prasetya