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I used to cower in the thought of Muay Thai or any form of physical fighting. Seeing
fighters kick, punch, or elbow their way for victory baffled my mind as to why such violence
is shown and admired until I realized that the art of Muay Thai averts the conventional
meaning of violence – it is not inherently bad. From the documentary entitled Thai Boxing: A
Fighting Chance, it is shown how deeply rooted Muay Thai is to one’s life specifically in
one’s survival, passion, and goal. For Gong Prai, this combat sport drives him to provide food
for his family, education for both his sister and him, and just simply getting by in life along
the poverty line. His fights and victories indeed encompass not just the enjoyment of it but
the chance for life itself. Without Muay Thai, Gong Prai can possibly end up like his friend,
who passed away from drug abuse. Much like the Filipino pride Manny Pacquiao, he entered
the world of boxing as a pathway out of poverty. When he was younger, Manny became a
fighter because he had to survive. With nothing and no one by him side, Manny had no
choice but to depend on myself. Since boxing was something he was good at, Manny
Pacquiao trained hard so that he could keep himself and his family alive.
For Boon Term, Muay Thai brings out the life in her. In years of oppressing her desire
for this sport due to gender-oriented beliefs, I felt like she was living a life society made for
her since Muay Thai back then was forbidden for women. A reason for this assumption is her
willingness to put her passion of Muay Thai beyond her marriage. I feel like mothers
generally sacrifice their aspirations in life to take care of her family but upon knowing Boon
Term’s decision, it may reasonable to presume that Muay Thai is embedded into her in a
sense that it frees her from social conventions – the life she had always chosen to live.
Nonetheless, the fighter whom I could relate to the most is Sam Sheridan. For him, Muay
Thai was not about money or a life-long passion – it was mere goal in life. To have a real
Muay Thai match in a real Muay Thai ring was an experience he longed of achieving. Being
a Harvard graduate, it was puzzling to the family and friends of Sam why he would yearn for
such a thing and get himself beat up. I think that Harvard made Sam feel like he his capacity
for learning is limited to only what society and the business world deems relevant. As Sam
mentioned in the documentary, practicing Muay Thai was still a form of gaining knowledge
and experience. Quoting Muhamad “don’t tell me what a man knows but where he’s been”, it
seems like Sam prefers experiencing as much life as he can – beyond what mathematics,
literature, and science could ever teach. Training for Muay Thai has widen his understanding
of discipline, commitment, and honor; values of which comes along with Muay Thai.
A few years ago, I never would have imagined myself stepping into a Martial Arts room in
Ateneo for the first semester of my first year in college, cherishing the ancient art of Muay
Thai. Training in my Muay Thai class has given me great pleasure and great pain. Contrary to
the situations of Gong Prai and Boon Term, wherein greater sacrifices are made such as
education and marriage, my pain and struggle only limits to my mind and body. I can’t deny
that there are times where I would want to cut class and just rest my body specially when I
have body sores and open wounds on my foot. Aside from that, I would see my coach’s demo
on traditional moves and think to myself, “can I even do that?” Much like Sam Sheridon,
learning Muay Thai is a personal goal of mine. Sports or anything that has the potential to tire
me out has always been outside my comfort zone; however, I owe it to myself to go beyond
the boundaries I set for myself. With Muay Thai, I am filled with satisfaction like no other.
That being said, I study Muay Thai for its rewarding return, physical and intellectual
challenge, rich history and culture, and deep influence on the world – and mine.