A true warrior is considerate of others. In Feudal Japan, it was thought that a samurai’s skill was reflected more in their politeness and decorum than their ability to wield a sword. That’s why the Japanese say, “yaiba ni tsukimono wa rei ni suguru” (刃に強き者は礼にすぐる) or that “The skilled swordsman has superior manners.” Politeness and good manners were thought to be essential traits for developing one’s humanity. Humanity was a necessary requirement to balance out the samurai’s job of killing. In one respect, being considerate of others was for safety purposes. A warrior’s intention always needed to be clear so as to avoid any misunderstandings. If they were polite and followed the etiquette, then there was a lower likelihood that their actions would be misinterpreted and lead to the ugliness of fighting. This is the same in Aikido training, before we begin training with our partners we say, “Onegaishimasu” (お願いします) which basically translates as “please.” The timing and the way in which we say onegaishimasu enables our partners to get a sense of our intention, mood or state of mind. In our day to day lives, it can be easy to forget our humanity as we fight to get ahead. However, slowing down and taking the time to be considerate of others is what brings us back to our humanity. It's no easy task to give kindness, compassion or forgiveness to someone especially if they are trying to hurt us but that is what training is trying to teach us. It takes no training to hurt another person, but only a truly developed person is capable of giving kindness, compassion or forgiveness. Having the ability to be truly considerate of others shows great power. Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving and its arrival reminds us to be the people that we are training to be. It takes more strength to give compassion than it does to destroy others. Thus, a true warrior is always considerate of others. This holiday season, please do your best to be kind, considerate and tolerant of others - it shows your true level. Merry Christmas!
Today’s goal: What can you do to be more kind, compassionate or considerate?
Watch this video of the care and consideration Japanese retailers use in wrapping gifts with one piece of tape.