武士を見たら泥棒と思え
Bushi wo mitaradoroboutoomoe
Warriors always assume the worst in people.
Every good martial artist is at least a little bit pessimistic. This tendency towards seeing things negatively is something that stems from our martial arts training. In the beginning of our training, we are supposed to be training ourselves to see the suki (隙) or “openings” in other people’s defenses. These openings or weak points are what we will capitalize upon to seize victory. This methodology of looking for weakness has to become second nature but this oftentimes creates a mindset of negativity because we are always searching for the worst in people. Sun Tzu said, "All warfare is based on deception.” Understanding this, that is why in budo they say, “Bushi wo mitaradoroboutoomoe” (武士を見たら泥棒と思え) or “Warriors always assume the worst in people.” It is in the best interest of the warrior to see the negative that a person is hiding. The problem is that this search for negativity starts to become pessimistic or seiakusetsu (性悪説) or “the belief that human nature is fundamentally evil.” This seems like a paradox because in today’s martial arts, we are supposed to be developing ourselves into good and well-adjusted human beings. It is thought that a person who studies a martial art should be calm, balanced and maybe even happy. The problem with this assertion is that with balance usually comes complacency and we lower our guard. When we lower our guard, that is the time when our opponents will usually attack us. An oft quoted martial arts proverb is “kattekabutonoo wo shimeyo” (勝って兜の緒を締めよ) or “In victory, tighten your helmet!” This proverb admonishes us not to become complacent and be ever vigilant. A good warrior, regardless of situation, has to always err on the side of caution because they never know when they will be attacked. Thus, a good martial artist has to always be at least 51% ready because as the Chinese proverb dictates, “It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.” In the beginning we program ourselves to see our opponent’s weaknesses and tendencies but later on, we are supposed to focus that lens on ourselves so that we might become aware of our own faults and shore them up. This is the beginning of becoming a good and well adjusted human being. This is also where we realize that negativity or pessimism has become our all of the time outlook and strive to change it. Hopefully, with time and training, we can get to a place where we can not only see the bad but also the good. A good martial artist should be slightly pessimistic in outlook but wholly optimistic in nature.
Today’s goal: Try to understand how you see the world.
Watch this video to better understand how pessimism can be helpful.