The best martial artists empower themselves. A martial artist is only supposed to be in the now, never gazing too far forward and never looking back. To focus on the now is to chikarazukeru (力尽ける) or “to empower” oneself. Empowering oneself means “to make a conscious decision to take charge of our lives and ultimately our destinies.” To overemphasize the past is to have a self-defeating mindset. The normal person is always trying to get back to the past. For them, they look back on their younger years with fondness when they were younger, fitter, better looking or just less encumbered. We all want to go back because it is natsukashii (懐かしい) or “nostalgic.” The problem is that the person who we were back then doesn’t really even exist anymore but in our minds. In order to go back, we have to defeat one of the five undefeatable opponents: The Grim Reaper, Mother Nature, Father Time, neglected old injuries, and the Self. If anyone of these five undefeated catches us first, we will never be able to go back. A martial artist understands that we can’t become who we are supposed to be if we cling on to the person that we were. Thus, the only undefeatable foe that we have any chance of beating is the Self and that’s why O’Sensei advocated for masakatsu agatsu (正勝吾勝) or that “the true victory is self-victory.” A clue to how we begin the journey of self-victory could be in the Buddhist monk Takuan Soho statement, “Sever the edge between before and after.” One way to think about this is that if we let go of the past and not think about the future then victory can be found in the present moment. Alice Morse Earle said, “The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Every morning when we wake up, we are the lucky ones. Every day, approximately 151,600 people die worldwide. Thus, every morning, we are reborn anew and should make use of the time we have now. In class, students up to a certain rank are discouraged from thinking. What I mean by thinking is not so much how to do the techniques but the baggage that comes along with thinking about how they are doing the technique. For instance, I always remind students that they should stand up straight with their heads up and look forward while they are doing the technique. One reason for this is that I can actually see them judging themselves with their body language as they are throwing someone down. Encouraging them to stand up straight with their heads up and looking straight ahead is symbolic body language indicating empowerment. In other words, this symbolic gesture enables them to “fake until they make it.” The 151,600 people who die yesterday don’t get to have a today. Martial artists understand this and so they try to squeeze the most out of the now because tomorrow they might be one of the unlucky ones. Saint Mahrer once said, “Time and tide wait for no man.” Martial artists know this and that is why the best martial artists empower themselves.
Today’s goal: Tomorrow never comes because it is always today.
Watch this video to better understand on what to focus on.