From the Knobby News
The writing that follows was taken completely from the news letter of the Northeast Tennessee Mountain Bike Association. I find that this article holds true for all things in life and is worthy of being shown here simply because of it's importance.
Editor's Riff:
I have been reading a book lately by George Leonard called The Way of Aikido. Leonard is an aikido master, a fifth degree black belt who writes knowingly of the martial art whose name translates "harmony spirit way." But his book is less about the moves and philosophy that inform those moves.
Early in the book, Leonard refers to aikido as a "radical reform of the samurai tradition," and he suggests that the philosophy of aikido allows an individual "whether or not that individual is a practitioner of aikido - to become "a new kind of samurai." He proceeds to discuss the code of the new samurai, and while all the components of the code make sense to me, it is the twelfth and final item that resonates most loudly -
The modern samurai cherishes life and thus conducts his or her affairs in such a manner as to be prepared at every moment for death.
A statement of fact that is so obvious that I suspect few would challenge it. Yet, at least for me, conducting my life in such a manner is no easy thing. Too often my credo seems to be, Why do today what I can put off till tomorrow? Maybe it's just laziness on my part. Or, maybe postponing for another day, another year, is my misguided attempt at asserting my immortality. And I suddenly find myself thinking of lines from Emily Dickinson - "Because I could not stop for Death, /He kindly stopped me."
No doubt that the recent deaths of my friends Mrs. Alger and Jay Bolland have a lot to do with why a Code for the modern day samurai resonates for me. Both Mrs. Alger and Jay had a samurai spirit. Consider item two of the code: "The modern samurai honors the traditional samurai virtues" loyalty, integrity, dignity, courtesy, courage, prudence and benevolence." Yeah, that captures those two individuals better than any words I can write.
But it is the part of the code that deals with death that most reminds me of Mrs. Alger and Jay -
As a modern day samurai, you know the sword is raised. To step aside when it comes down on you, you'll need to be clear and present, to have no regrets or other considerations. And when the moment eventually arrives that you can no longer step aside-as it must-you can meet your death as a samurai, with no regrets.
No regrets. That sounds good to me.Which means that I better start turning all of my tomorrows into todays. There's no telling when death and his carriage might show up.
ride with bliss
joe
Editor's Riff:
I have been reading a book lately by George Leonard called The Way of Aikido. Leonard is an aikido master, a fifth degree black belt who writes knowingly of the martial art whose name translates "harmony spirit way." But his book is less about the moves and philosophy that inform those moves.
Early in the book, Leonard refers to aikido as a "radical reform of the samurai tradition," and he suggests that the philosophy of aikido allows an individual "whether or not that individual is a practitioner of aikido - to become "a new kind of samurai." He proceeds to discuss the code of the new samurai, and while all the components of the code make sense to me, it is the twelfth and final item that resonates most loudly -
The modern samurai cherishes life and thus conducts his or her affairs in such a manner as to be prepared at every moment for death.
A statement of fact that is so obvious that I suspect few would challenge it. Yet, at least for me, conducting my life in such a manner is no easy thing. Too often my credo seems to be, Why do today what I can put off till tomorrow? Maybe it's just laziness on my part. Or, maybe postponing for another day, another year, is my misguided attempt at asserting my immortality. And I suddenly find myself thinking of lines from Emily Dickinson - "Because I could not stop for Death, /He kindly stopped me."
No doubt that the recent deaths of my friends Mrs. Alger and Jay Bolland have a lot to do with why a Code for the modern day samurai resonates for me. Both Mrs. Alger and Jay had a samurai spirit. Consider item two of the code: "The modern samurai honors the traditional samurai virtues" loyalty, integrity, dignity, courtesy, courage, prudence and benevolence." Yeah, that captures those two individuals better than any words I can write.
But it is the part of the code that deals with death that most reminds me of Mrs. Alger and Jay -
As a modern day samurai, you know the sword is raised. To step aside when it comes down on you, you'll need to be clear and present, to have no regrets or other considerations. And when the moment eventually arrives that you can no longer step aside-as it must-you can meet your death as a samurai, with no regrets.
No regrets. That sounds good to me.Which means that I better start turning all of my tomorrows into todays. There's no telling when death and his carriage might show up.
ride with bliss
joe
posted by Mark at 3:23 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home