“It is not important to be better than someone else, but to be better than yesterday.” - Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo
A true warrior never stops developing themselves. The goal of human beings is to evolve. A true warrior is searching for their saishuhensei (最終編成) or their “final form.” Our final form is the highest level of development we can attain. For each person, that apex is different. We won’t know where our final form is unless we strive to find it. In the martial arts, the art is the vehicle that we use to develop ourselves and find our highest level or final form. In class, the teacher pares down the techniques in order to make them digestible. Once we have mastered that particular level, the teacher then adds another level, then another and so on and so forth. With each level or layer, comes new obstacles to overcome and new skills to learn. If we have the mindset of jikokeihatsu (自己啓発) or “self-development” then we will strive to improve ourselves. If we have the mindset of jikomanzoku (自己満足) or “complacency” then we will stop when we have attained any little amount of self-development. In battle, the worst place to be is rojo (籠城) which means “holing up in a castle during a siege.” When we are attacked, it’s better to fight to save our own lives than it is to wait and hole up in a castle as we stagnate and wait for others to save us. If our technique doesn’t evolve it will become stagnant, wither and maybe even get us killed. It withers because our bodies are constantly changing over time and with those changes, we cannot rely on the physicalness of our bodies as we lose strength, stamina, and speed as we age. However, even as we get older, we can still improve our technique. Someone once said, “technique and spirit will always beat strength and speed.” Obviously, wherever it is that we “stop” developing ourselves is where our final level will be. All that is required in not only Aikido but in life is that we just keep going no matter the adversity or obstacle. With this perseverance, we will sooner or later overcome ourselves and find our highest level or final form. A true warrior is striving to find their final form and that is why they never stop developing themselves.
Today’s goal: Have you evolved into your final form? If not, get to work!