親切な言葉一つで三か月にわたる冬の期間
Shinsetsuna kotoba hitotsu de san-kagetsu ni wataru fuyu no kikan
One kind word can warm for three winter months
Welcome to Winter Solstice. The winters in Japan can be quite arduous. It the past, Japan was an agrarian culture and so if one did not prepare themselves properly, they would suffer and possibly perish. The country is small and the winters are harsh so the Japanese people have to work together. When we are in a bind, we need the kindness of others to survive. In Japanese, a popular idiom is “Nasake ni hamukau yaiba nashi” or that “There is no blade which can oppose kindness.” No matter who we are, how rich or powerful, we all need kindness. None of us would survive without it. In Aikido training, we rely on the kindness of our partner to not exploit the fact that we give them our bodies to train with. We throw our partners or pin them only with the adequate amount of power or strength. Without this care or kindness a person would surely get hurt in training. Nobody wants to get hurt and nobody wants to go home in an ambulance. Martial art training helps us to realize that anyone can be brutal or a bully - it is easy, but only a real person of character can be kind. The Japanese proverb, “One kind word can warm for three winter months” reminds us that every person is, on some level, dealing with some stuff. When we are wrestling with our own stuff we sometimes act inappropriately or without care or concern for others. Sometimes all a person needs is a kind word to help them get out of a funk. Our “winter” seems like it has been going on for more than nine months now and doesn’t seem to be letting up. Kind words are needed now more than ever. A true warrior’s weapon isn’t their sword but their kind words and benevolent actions.
Today’s goal: Give someone a kind word when they least expect it.