A Strange Lesson

"Come on, clean up all the trash!" Johnny shouted as his students ran around picking up the remaining trash from the Miyagi-Do Dojo. "If you feel embarrassed, imagine how I feel!"

Looking at his sweaty students, Johnny sighed and said, "Do you know why I didn't look for culprits?"

"No, Sensei!"

"I didn't look for culprits because we are Cobra Kai, a family never abandons each other, and that's what we'll do from now on. I personally apologized to my greatest rival; it was disappointing, I felt suffocated, but if I could do it, so can you." Johnny raised his voice as he moved from side to side.

"Um, Sensei Lawrence, how do we lift this rock?" Miguel asked, noticing they still couldn't lift a rock that belonged to the decorations of this place.

Johnny frowned and asked, "Is that trash part of this Dojo?"

Miguel sighed upon hearing those words from his Sensei. Johnny might be trying to change, but those details are what revert their relationship with Daniel back to the beginning.

"I finished removing the paper from the trees, Sensei!" Eli shouted, who was working three times harder than the rest, giving everyone the idea of who the culprit was, but no one said anything.

It was true that they were a family, and now more than ever, they needed to be united. They were there for each other when there were problems, so they wouldn't separate after hearing their Sensei's words, who had set aside his pride for them to understand the meaning of this.

"Mr. Lawrence, did you order a hydraulic lift?" A man in a black shirt entered the yard after being guided by one of the boys who had gone for refreshments.

Johnny nodded and said, "I want to lift that trash and put it back in its place. The owner of this place tends to appreciate nonsensical things, and I figure he'll lose his mind if we throw that rock in the trash."

The worker carrying the electric hydraulic lift looked at the rock and said, "We just need to lift the rock a little to raise it... Since we can't use a forklift, you can figure it out with this equipment."

"Alright, get to work, consider this as training..."

The worker thought this was child exploitation but didn't voice his opinion after being stared at harshly by Johnny, who was teaching his students a lesson.

"Is this place even considered a Dojo?" Johnny asked as he touched his forehead, seeing how one of his students had torn some flowers from the garden, thinking it was grass.

Miguel, who was still painting the damaged areas, looked at Johnny and said, "Although this is extreme, I think everyone will understand the message, and that's unity."

Aisha looked at Miguel and said, "Not exactly. It was humiliating to discover that your students were practically criminals, but the hardest part was apologizing to someone you don't exactly get along with."

"Your relationship with Sam is in the trash..."

"What the hell does that have to do with what I just said?"

Everyone looked at the guy who had just said that, and he muttered, "I don't know what I just said, but everyone would be better off if you stopped pinpointing exactly what we all know."

"Shut up!" Eli didn't want them to start fighting among themselves.

"We're here because of someone's damn madness. Why are we cleaning up all this trash?"

Miguel sighed, looked at the kids who were arguing, and said, "Fighting over this won't get us anywhere. You heard it from Mr. Lawrence, so consider this as training."

"Training... You should consider your relationship with the enemy neutral; it's clear we won't be able to be on good terms with them."

"You guys better help the others lift the rock!" Johnny shouted as he distributed water bottles among his students.

...

In a completely different place, Daniel went to seek advice from Mr. Chozen on how he should act regarding the recent problem he had with Johnny since he had no idea how to behave.

"Now knowing the whole story, as I can see between you and Johnny, you act as a cause/effect, like a ping pong game where one acts and the other responds. Every act they commit has consequences, satisfying them and, in parallel, intensifying aggression towards others."

After saying that, Chozen smiled slightly and said, "And it's not just about them. Their students play a vital role: they are the result of a dispute that never reaches an agreement. Empathy, patience, and understanding are the keys to reconciliation, and at the same time, they are fleeting moments that disappear due to the results of their actions."

"That's true, but I can't improve things if Johnny doesn't cooperate..." Daniel was helpless as he could say little in response to Chozen's words, who seemed to understand everything.

"This is exactly the problem. You say one thing, and Johnny says the opposite. Both believe there is only one version." Chozen smiled and said, "The solution to the conflict between you two is not in defeating the other but in finding reconciliation, a lesson that could well come from Miyagi-Do..."

"Thanks, Chozen, now I know what I can do..."