縁の下の力持ち
Ennoshitanochikaramochi
The unsung heroes who do thankless tasks
Warriors know that we are all interconnected. Years ago, when I was in Japan I saw a documentary about the brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana who both became Sumo Yokozuna grand champions. I was fascinated by all the things that their mother did to train them to eventually become Yokozuna. One thing which stood out was that their mother used to make them sit in seiza on their knees whenever their father, who was also a sumo wrestler, was wrestling on TV. Her rationale was, “Sitting up straight and paying attention is the least we can do as father is sacrificing himself for our family.” One way to look at this is that it is about giri (義理) or “indebtedness.” A simplistic way to think about giri is that it is transactional where someone does something for us and we owe them something in return but giri also has a feeling which accompanies the action. Giri means that we act in turn more out of appreciation and gratitude than we do out of obligation. An act of kindness is not something that someone must remind us of, but it is something that we hopefully never forget. Ideally, someone thinks of us and we in turn think of them - this is giri. In a dojo, as we focus on our training, it is easy to overlook all that is taking place around us. As students, it is easy to forget what others do for us so that we can have not only a place but an environment to receive Aikido instruction in. Conversely, for teachers, it is easy to overlook what it might take for a student to come to the dojo to train. Training is supposed to teach us to become more aware of ourselves and others so that we can realize everything that is happening around us. Realizing that we are all interconnected, we learn to appreciate the sacrifices and efforts of others on and off the mat and others in turn appreciate our sacrifices and efforts. A famous tea ceremony teacher once said, “With those who you find yourself with, give them every consideration.” The best warriors realize we are all interconnected and thus never take others for granted.
Today’s goal: Try to see and be grateful for all the interconnectedness that is happening around you.
Watch this video to better understand Interconnectedness