Therefore since the world has still
Much good but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure
Luck's a chance but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would,
And train for ill and not for good.
- A E Houseman
Happy Friday the 13th! The Japanese are engiwokatsugu (縁起を担ぐ) or “superstitious.” The Japanese are superstitious about Friday the 13th but no more than any other unlucky day. The Japanese love puns and homophones and many are used in superstitious beliefs. For instance, the Japanese don’t like the word shi (死) because it is a homophone which means “to die” and that’s why the word for the number four or “shi” is often substituted with yon. Another example of Japanese superstitious belief is that a person's name should not be written in red ink because that is how it is written on graves. Should martial artists be superstitious? That’s up to the person. I don’t know if the prolific swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was superstitious or not, but he said, “Shinbutsu wo tattobite, shinbutsu wo tanomazu” (神仏を尊びて神仏を頼ず) which means, “Respect Buddha and Shinto gods, but do not ask them for anything.” Why would he respect them if he wasn’t at least a little bit superstitious? It is not that martial artists should be superstitious or not but like Musashi, warriors should rely more on themselves than on the divine. The line in A E Houseman’s poem “train for ill” illustrates this mindset and it reminds me of the Stoic proverb of “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.” In this world, the only thing we can rely upon is ourselves and like Archilochus said, “We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” Friday the 13th is just a day like any other day. Don’t get too caught up in the Friday the 13th hype but at the same time don’t tempt fate either. At the very least, it’s Friday!
Today’s goal: Why not do something kind for a stranger on this superstitious day.
Watch this video to better understand believing in yourself.