“Fellow samurai must support each other. We are never so keenly grateful for the kindness
of others as when we have fallen on hard times.” - Oishi, The Loyal 47 Ronin
All we can do is support others on their journey. In the martial arts, progress is accomplished by jiriki (自力) or “by our own power.” Thus, the journey of the martial arts is supposed to be a singular pursuit because no one can do our work for us. However, from time to time, we all need a little bit of sentoushien (戦闘支援) or “combat support.” When thinking about support, I love this quote in the 1958 movie, The Loyal 47 Ronin. In this scene, the 47 Ronin are trying to secretly move their weapons cache so that they can take their revenge. While moving through territories, a high-ranking samurai of another clan catches the main character Oishi Kuranosuke in a lie while examining his papers. When he is caught in his deception, Oishi immediately apologizes and explains the situation. Hearing about Oishi and the other ronin’s plight to regain their honor, the samurai in charge lets them go and gives them safe passage through his territory. Hearing the verdict and being overcome with emotion, Oishi says, “Fellow samurai must support each other. We are never so keenly grateful for the kindness of others as when we have fallen on hard times.” This scene illustrates that although our journeys are solitary, we all need help. The question one should ask is “How much support should we give?” It is tough to strike the right balance because too much support can create dependance while too little support can create undue hardship. In the martial arts, two things that we are trying to cultivate in our techniques are timing and restraint. Timing is to do the right thing at the right time. Restraint is being able to apply the right amount of power which is appropriate for the situation. The same applies in teaching. In class, teachers should think about timing and restraint in not only what they teach but in how they teach it and be mindful of the appropriateness of their corrections. In giving support, it is easy to overdo it because we intensely want people to accomplish their goals. However, we should always err on the side of balance by first keeping in mind healthy boundaries. Secondly, we should always put the ownness of change on the person who wants the change and not do the work for them. To do this, be mindful of this old Chinese proverb: “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” This proverb leads us back to the idea that helping people in the martial arts and in life should be done with just enough support so as they can still do it by their “own power.” This way the realizations and changes are their own and they learn to stand on their own two feet. We can’t do the work for anyone other than ourselves and so all we can really do is support others on their journey.
Today’s goal: Don’t forget to be kind and lend a helping hand because every person is suffering.
Watch this video to better understand support