火が降っても槍が降っても
Hi ga futte mo yari ga futte mo
No matter whether it rains fire or spears
Martial arts training isn’t supposed to be easy. What every martial artist is really learning is mindset. Martial arts training is fraught with obstacles. To the layperson, it is easy to think that the obstacles are physical in the beginning and only mental later on. However, I would argue that all obstacles, regardless of one’s level, are mental. Confronting a larger opponent and getting out of bed require the same mental energy. Once we learn to overcome the games that our minds play, we learn that every obstacle we surmount makes us stronger. That is why both Nietzsche and Japanese proverb advocate keizokuhachikaranari ( 継続は力なり) or “that persevering through something difficult makes one stronger.” How does adversity make us stronger? In one way, we develop a “no matter what” mindset. The martial arts mindset is that we will not give up, no matter what. So, every time we look up at the size of the mountain confronting us, we should think “no matter what” instead of “I should give up.” A normal person has the tendency to give up at the first sign of struggle. The Japanese think that people today have a 3K mindset which means that they won’t do these three things: kitanai (汚い), kiken (危険) and kitsui (きつい) or “dirty, dangerous and demanding.” Martial artists aren’t normal people, and our training is literally all three of these things. One cannot get good at a martial art without sweating or getting dirty. The techniques in the martial arts are lethal so it is given that one will get injured at some point or another. All martial arts are demanding and so one must be able to dedicate themselves to their training. In training, we continually learn to persevere and overcome any and all obstacles and with each surmounted obstacle or downed foe, we learn konjo (根性) or “fighting spirit.” At every moment, we are confronted with a choice to give up or keep going. A martial artist always chooses to keep going “no matter” even if it is raining fire or spears.
Today’s goal: Think about what you can do to be determined and dedicated toward achieving your goals.