All good warriors must have backbone. Having backbone can be thought of as fighting spirit. In Japanese, when someone has the will or determination to standup for something, they are referred to as, kikotsu (氣骨) or “powerful spine” or a person with a “backbone.” In the old days, warriors were supposed to be develop the ability to kill with one cut. This wasn’t because they were trying to become killing machines. The reason why was because it was thought to be merciful to kill one’s opponent with one stroke rather than hack away at them causing them more suffering, but it was also thought that a true warrior, despite being mortally wounded, was supposed to have the backbone to muster all their will and deliver one last cut before they died. Today, we normally think that only people with backbone are people who can get things done, but it is more than that. However, every person has a backbone otherwise they wouldn’t be able to stand up. When we “stand up,” we choose to live our lives with grace, dignity and power. Therefore, every person has the potential to be determined and stand up for something. The difference is where we choose to put our power as we all inherently have the power to equally do great good or great evil and that potential is therefore merely separated by choice. The eight virtues of the samurai are supposedly: compassion, honor, respect, righteousness, honesty, courage, loyalty and self-discipline. The samurai virtues aren’t necessarily difficult, but they are mere words unless they are backed up by backbone. Thus, the power to be successful only requires that we have conviction and determination or in other words have backbone. In life, there is always a choice. We all have the backbone to stand up for what is we want or what it is we believe in and thus the warrior chooses to have backbone.
Today’s goal: Stand up straight and hold your head up high because you have backbone.