人生はなにが起こるかわからない
Jinsei wa nani ga okoruka wakaranai
Nobody knows what will happen
The one thing a warrior can be quite certain of is uncertainty. Our minds can delude us into thinking that we know or that we can control people, things or situations. We want this certainty or control because we believe that having it will give us a sense of peace. However, as the Prussian general, Carl von Clausewitz once said, “War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty.” In this sense, life and battle are no different as we are not able to know or control anything with complete certainty. Furuya Sensei often quoted his Zen master as saying, “Nandemo omoidori ni ikanai” which means “Nothing goes the way you want it to.” Each day in training, as we are confronted by our partners, we get the opportunity to “let go” of the desire for certainty and control and in turn learn to go with the flow. Ironically, it is when we let go of the desire for certainty and control is precisely when we learn that the only thing we can control is ourselves. Controlling ourselves means being calm and centered so that we can meet adversity with a sense of peace. Nobody knows what will happen so don’t fall into the trap of trying to control or that you know anything for certain. A warrior knows that nothing happens entirely as they want and so they learn to embrace uncertainty.
Today’s goal: Everything in life is a habit and the desire for control and certainty are no different. Train yourself by saying, “Nothing goes the way you want it to” every time you realize that you are struggling with certainty or control.