敵を知り己を知れば百戦危うからず
Teki wo shiriono wo shireba hyakusen ayaukarazu
Know your enemy, know thyself, and you shall not fear a hundred battles
- Japanese proverb
The best warriors show that they are vulnerable. In the old days of budo, it was a sign of weakness to share personal issues. Most would just quietly and stoically gaman (我慢) or “persevere” through it. Recently, Naomi Osaka, the world’s number 2 ranked women’s tennis player, pulled out of the French Open citing self-care. Osaka discussed her anxieties about public speaking and said, “I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.” The WTA’s steadfast position forced Osaka to pull out of the tournament. My first thought when I heard the news was, “Wow so powerful.” It reminded me of Brené Brown’s mantra for authenticity, “Don't Shrink, Don't Puff Up, Stand Your Sacred Ground.” Osaka was forthcoming with her struggles and chose self-care over money, making others happy or toeing the line. Most would never share their personal struggles let alone mental health issues. Osaka chose to be vulnerable and thus showed her true power. In swordsmanship, the highest expression of attainment is when a warrior adopts an “open” stance. To open one’s stance is akin to dropping one’s guard and by doing so it creates a suki (隙) or “opening” which invites an opponent to attack. Beginners create openings by accident while experts do it on purpose. In Japanese to let one’s guard down is referred to as “ki wo yurusu” (氣を許す). Yurusu means to “permit” or “consent.” Thus, we purposefully open ourselves up and allow the opponent to see our opening in hopes that they will mistaken it for weakness. True warriors are great not because they are impervious or indestructible. The best warriors know who they are and what they are capable of doing but knowledge becomes true power when we are willing to not only show our strengths but our weaknesses too. Brené Brown also said, “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.” Most think that opening ourselves up shows weakness. On the contrary, being vulnerable shows our true inner strength and it actually shows how strong we really are.
Today’s goal: Please do whatever it takes to take care of yourself no matter what anyone says.