It has been 41 years since I first took up the study of martial arts. This month, testing for the next black belt fell on my birthday. Instead of feeling the anticipation of competing in a triathlon, I had the inner sense that the test was done before it started.

In addition to the requisite patterns, fighting techniques, board-breaking and sparring, our grand master also asked us to submit written work as part of our examination. After eight years of drafts, I was finally able to publish a book about the art of tae kwan do, “The Practice of Freedom.” It includes a discussion on the principles of the Hwa Rang, a youth group that, centuries ago, was the driving force behind the unification of the three kingdoms of Korea. The ancient values of the Hwa Rang are keenly relevant for modern times and offer guidance for health and prosperity.

Loyalty toward leadership, the first of five core values, lays the foundation. During international black belt testing this year, another student remarked that in modern times, the spirit of loyalty can be hard to come by. Certainly, leaders must have the refined qualities worthy of their post, yet it is not only the leader but also the post itself that deserves respect. The very act of loyalty toward leadership strengthens both the team and the individual who offers his or her dedication. Loyalty is not a blind act but an active, positive engagement. Habitual back-biting erodes the ability of all concerned to be harmonious, healthy and prosperous. Companies and communities benefit profoundly from loyalty toward leadership.

Loyalty toward one’s parents is the second principle of the ancient Hwa Rang. The number of broken families and children raised by single parents continues to rise. Too many children have parents who are abusive, negligent, addicted to drugs or incarcerated. Sadly, some go on to repeat the models they watched growing up. Others manage to flourish despite great adversity. At the same time, there are countless parents who daily make selfless sacrifices for their children that go unappreciated. I have observed several physicians in the community who were second-generation immigrants to Hawaii. They were available 24/7 for patients and colleagues and throughout their careers covered any admissions at multiple hospitals acting with impeccable respect and humility. For many, their life dream was that their children would go to the best schools, become physicians and take over the busy practices built through years of effort. Yet when the next generation came back to Hawaii as young physicians, while some seemed to emulate the humility of their parents, others seemed to possess a sense of entitlement without regard for the sacrifices made on their behalf.

Loyal friendship, the next principle, refers not just to drinking, golfing or fishing buddies. It considers peers of all forms including colleagues, classmates and co-workers — those with whom we are in the trenches. It is the bond of camaraderie. Throughout Asia and the Middle East there is a saying: “Do not do unto others what you would not want them to do to you.”

The three loyalties are followed by the principle of “no retreat” from the battlefield of life. This is not a recommendation to run blindly forward in the heat of battle. Strategy might be employed such that one can live to fight another day. It includes the aspiration that we see things as they truly are. Tremendous courage is required to face one’s own blind spots and to dispense with denial and defensiveness.

The final principle of the Hwa Rang is “to respect nature” It includes the broad respect of life and, today, the effort to reduce our carbon footprint, but the spirit of the Hwa Rang is to honor both inner and outer nature. In fact, the ideal training session is one in which the student has given everything without holding back but stops short of doing internal violence to the sinews. Finding that point between laziness and excess is an art in itself. It is also essential to understand human nature as we conduct our daily relationships. Whether engaged in the practice of medicine or business, the ability to appreciate what is going on in another person’s mind is the difference between success and failure.

The ancient wisdom of the Hwa Rang emphasized timeless values including loyalty to leadership, family and peers, It also encouraged the balance of “no retreat” from life’s challenges with delicate respect for inner and outer nature. That balance between the relentless pursuit of one’s objectives and the wisdom to respect human nature and the physical limitations of our blue planet is as relevant today as it was in ancient times. The wealth of health depends on it.

Ira “Kawika” Zunin, MD, MPH, MBA, is a practicing physician. He is medical director of Manakai O Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com