Furuya Sensei posted this to his Daily Message on May 26, 2003.
People today are taught to only think about themselves so we are creating such a cold, isolated and selfish world. It makes me sooo sad.
We practice Aikido and many of us like to think of ourselves as warriors. But what is a warrior, do you think? We only think that a warrior is good in martial arts, strong and tough. No, we are just thinking of the picture that movies and comic books paint for us. A true warrior is one who has gone beyond life and death. Can you give up yourself for the sake of another? This is the ultimate question that a warrior must solve for themselves. In the Hagakure, the opening famous line is: “The Way of The Warrior, is, after-all, to understand one’s end. . . . ."
This, please understand, is not a negative view of life. It is the ultimate good. To recognize others above our own selves and our own selfish interests. This is a very unpopular or unknown idea nowadays. But the honor and greatness has never changed and never will. It is just that there are fewer of us who can really and truly call ourselves warriors.