A warrior realizes humanity.
Within one cut, a warrior can realize humanity. A warrior always does the right thing at the right time. Through training, a warrior learns the eight virtues: respect, honor, loyalty, justice, courage, benevolence, self-discipline, and honesty. Through life experience those eight principles are weaved together as the warrior learns the ninth virtue which is humanity. Humanity are the qualities of what it means to be human like kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. True power isn’t the ability to destroy or wield violence; that is weakness. True power is one’s ability to be strong enough to be kind, compassionate and forgiving even when it’s not warranted. Sometimes, we learn humanity in defeat. Other times, we learn it through pain and suffering. Somewhere in our darkest moments, we come to learn the value of life; we learn the power of humanity. In budo, when we meet our equal on the battlefield, the line that separates the winner from the loser is often just merely luck. That person developed themselves to level to meet us on the battlefield and it was only luck which made them fall to us. Understanding this, our opponent deserves our humanity and not our brutality. The main character, Tsugumo Hanshiro in the movie Harakiri said, “What befalls others today may be our own fate tomorrow. When all is said and done our lives are like houses built on foundations of sand. A strong wind and all is gone.” The entire movie plot is about how the eight virtues must be obeyed reverently but practiced with humanity. Respect, honor, loyalty, justice, courage, benevolence, self-discipline and honesty lose their meaning without humanity. Respect without humanity can be an empty gesture. Honor and justice delivered without humanity can be cruelty. Loyalty without humanity is just sycophantism. Courage without humanity can be bravado. Benevolence without humanity is just self-importance. Honesty needs humanity because sometimes the truth hurts. Self-discipline without humanity can just be self-centeredness. There is always more to the story and humanity helps us see that. Humanity ensures that we are doing the right thing for the right reason rather than the right thing just because it is right.
Today’s goal: Look beyond what is right and see the humanity.
Listen/Watch Charlie Chaplin’s - A message for all of humanity