The Karate International Student Creed

I DO NOT CHOOSE TO BE A COMMON MAN...

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon… if I can. I seek opportunity, not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence, the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence, nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect; proud and unafraid, to think and act for myself, to enjoy the benefits of my creation, and to face the world boldly and say “This I have done.” All this is what it means to be an American.

AUTHOR: DEAN ALFANGE

Karate International of Winston-Salem Black Belts

Top Row: Mark Ayers, Ray Paulin, Sarah Beauchamp, Tina Morgan, Rob Joiner, Doug Clark, Susan Ayers, AJ Perez

Junior Black Belts: Gabby Ayers, Cassie Paulin, Brady Crenshaw, Stephen Markwalter, Andrew Markwalter, Jean Luc Clark