This past week I have spent time studying with our youngest
son on the history of Japan. What I
believe was extremely cool was that the study sheets sent home went beyond
facts like the country being made up of
over 3000 islands and 73% of the country being mountainous, and required the students to dig a little
deeper. They had to first understand the
history and tradition but had to think beyond general info and put themselves
in the position of a Japanese citizen of a particular class and explain how
they would feel and how they would view the changes that were happening in
their country in the 1500’s – 1867. Then
on the flip side, they had to try to understand how someone from the western
world viewed this unknown country whose society seemed so dedicated in
protecting their people and traditions.
Part of this unit of
study included the watching of the movie ‘The Last Samurai.’ I have watched this movie more than once but
found myself watching it again this week with a completely different perspective
and appreciation for this culture and the Samurai class. This movie portrays a side of this ‘Warriors’
life that is tranquil and peaceful, one that is intriguing and attractive. It is a life with known purpose and complete
dedication to that purpose. I found myself going a little further than the text
book and did a little more research.
Many people would guess the translation of Samurai to be ‘Warrior’,
associating them with war and violence.
In actuality the translation is “Those who serve” or “To serve and
attend.” The Samurai did follow an
unwritten code known as Bushido meaning “Way of the Warrior”, however, this
code held a list of values/virtues that one would not necessarily relate to a
warrior.
The values of a
Samurai include:
-
Integrity
-
Courage
-
Benevolence
-
Politeness
-
Sincerity
-
Honor
-
Loyalty
-
Self-Control
Although their role was to protect their leaders and the
people of their domain, and their status in society was very high, they lived a
rather simplistic life. A life of
dedication and loyalty while striving for inner peace and that in the world
around them. Living by this ‘code’ and
upholding these values was their way of life.
They truly believed in and committed themselves to their role.
I believe in our world of entitlement and privilege we fail
to understand the same depth of commitment and dedication as these Samurai of
old. However, we are fighting battles of
a different makeup, those of intolerance, lack of compassion, selfishness,
weakness, dishonestly, unaccountability and the list goes on. It is definitely a world that could use more
of each of these virtues. I think as
martial artists, and more specifically Silent River students, we need to
consistently and deliberately uphold this list in our day to day lives. We need
to understand that our training involves much more than the physical aspects and
that we need to give the required attention and focus to those qualities that are
more related to the building of strong and positive character. Can you imagine
what this world would be like if everyone dedicated themselves to constantly
strive for and uphold this list of the Samurai?
Alana Regier
http:/alanaregier.blogspot.ca
“The Way of a Warrior
is based on humanity, love and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true
bravery, wisdom, love and friendship.
Emphasis on the physical aspects of warriorship is futile, for the power
of the body is always limited.”
Ueshiba Morihei, The Art of Peace
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