The best martial artists strive to live their lives by standards. Martial arts training transcends mere physical prowess; it's more than just beating people up. It has to delve deeper and offer more fulfillment, or else life would hold little meaning. To study a martial art is to study the self. When we study ourselves, we learn about our truths, but we realize our untruths as well. One thing that is revealed to us in our training is this concept of kijun (基準) or “standards.” In training, we learn that preferences are different than standards. Preferences are what we tend to like or don’t like, and those desires are whimsical and subject to change based upon mood, availability, or situation. Standards are firm and are more like the principles that we choose to live our lives by which guide all of our behaviors, attitudes, and actions. Standards are different than rules; while rules often feel imposed by others, standards are a choice. Standards are also different than goals. Motivational speaker Eric Thomas said, “Goals move, standards don’t.” Standards ensure that goals are achieved. We can have standards without having goals, but we can’t achieve goals without having standards. Standards are also different than a code of conduct. Codes of conducts are mainly just words like “honor” or “sacrifice.” Standards are more like these mantras that we hold steadfast and won’t break easily like “I don’t lie” or “I don’t steal.” Standards are also different than boundaries as a boundary cannot create a standard, but a standard can help to create a boundary. Standards are about taking ownership of ourselves, and they are reflected in the quality of our actions and level of personal development. In the dojo, we learn pretty quickly that we are held to a standard because with each promotion in rank comes not only a set of standards but also responsibilities. For instance, senior students are expected to train hard with their juniors to develop them but not to the point that they are beaten up. Standards dictate how we act or control ourselves when something untoward happens to us. Epictetus said, “We can’t control what happens to us, we can only control how we respond to it.” Every day in the dojo and in life, we are buffeted by forces that are out of our control. Understanding Epictetus’ quote, we realize that the only thing we can control is us and we control ourselves by adhering to the standards that we set forth for ourselves. A martial artist has to be the kind of person that does what they say they will do and that’s why the Japanese say, “bushi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi” (武士の一言金鉄の如し) or that “A warrior’s word is as reliable as gold or iron.” It is reliable because a warrior’s standard won’t allow them to break it. What does it really mean to be an Aikidoist, a teacher, or a person who follows the Way? All of these questions and many more can be answered when we look inward and see what we hold to be true and then in turn live our lives by those truths. Everything else is just words, desires, or the things we say and do so that people will like us. Yoda said, “a Jedi craves not these things” and neither does a martial artist. A true martial artist stands alone because they choose to live their life by their standards.
Today’s goal: Do you have real standards or are they just strong preferences?
Watch this video to better understand standards