Respect

"Freedom, morality, and the human dignity of the individual consists precisely in this; that he does good not because he is forced to do so, but because he freely conceives it, wants it, and loves it."
Mikhail A. Bakunin

"I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and from others to take an example for himself"
Publius Terentius Afer

Respect is the realization that others, though they look, act, speak, or worship differently, are our equals when united for our common goals. That our loyalty to these individuals is not to their difference, but to that part of them that brings us together, that causes us to see a common future, that puts aside the difference as points of contention. It instead sees that the differences often provide information, skills, points of view that shore up the weak points in a group effort and make the team stronger.Why else is it that the United States, a country based upon groups of divergent people who left some other place to come here, has succeeded so overwhelmingly compared to countries with more homogenous beliefs and peoples? Why is iron weak compared to alloyed steel?

At MMA, we use the time honored methods of the United States Marine Corps to instill character into our cadets by giving them responsibility and confidence in ways not possible at a public school and rarely found at most private schools. Giving a young man responsibility over other cadets awakens an understanding of what leadership entails. This develops a sense of maturity through realization of weight of responsibility coupled with the confidence in making right decisions for the good of the group or team, rather than just for one's self. The development of the "Me First" culture that began in the 1980's resulted in the IPO's scandles that grew in the 1990's and crashed in 2000. Actors, Sports Stars, Musicians, are providing "role models" that state that the individual is more important than any group. They erode respect for women, parents and country. They say that people who engage in entertainment are more valuable, in terms of dollars, than the fireman, policeman, teacher or soldier.

At MMA we know that boys today are inundated with "entertainment" that provides the wrong message. That they are tempted with "short cuts" to life. That many are in public schools where discipline is not supported, where faith, respect and allegiance to one's country are actually ignored. At MMA we teach the values that have served for years as the foundation of the United States Marine Corps. We teach our Cadets that being a man is not based in external, material success, but on his own inner strength, his sense of pride, loyalty, responsibility, and respect.

"We are of course a nation of differences. Those differences don’t make us weak. They’re the source of our strength."
Jimmy Carter

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