The ancient Samurai believed a strict code of conduct. These principles and ideals are collectively known as Bushido.
Among these values are honesty and integrity, honour, loyalty and responsibility.
The ancient Samurai believed that speaking and doing are essentially the same. Someone who is honest and has integrity does not have to promise; their actions and words will be in harmony and they will do what they say they will do. In much the same way, there is a connection to integrity in what one is to say and do. The Samurai believed in a strict code of being upright and moral, of being responsible for one’s actions and being acutely honest in one’s dealings with people. They also accepted the consequences of their actions. They were fiercely loyal to those in their care.
To me, the martial arts have provided a path to finding and upholding these values as best I can, in my way. They have provided the same for countless others.
But what does it mean to have integrity in today’s martial arts world?
Rotten Apples
Over the past few weeks, there have been some sad events in the martial arts world, both locally and internationally. Some were merely unfortunate, while others were truly shocking. These range from martial arts clubs going bankrupt and martial artists losing their jobs to instructors making up credentials and experience and all the way to sexual assault in martial arts schools. The common thread in all of them?
Complete and utter disregard to upholding these codes.
When looking back at these events, I am a little surprised at how much they affected me. For several weeks I found it hard to concentrate, think about other things and even sleep. It affected my performance at work and in training.
Thinking about this a few weeks later, I now try to understand why these events affected me to such an extent.
I’d like to think that it’s because I am, all in all, not a bad person. I’m not a perfect person – because there is no such thing – and not even an amazing person. But not a bad one either. I’d like to think that I do have a strong moral code, that I try my best to be a good human being and help to those I can when I can.
Let’s add to that.
The world can be a messed-up place, and it feels like at the moment it is very much getting crazier by the day. Yet somehow, I find that I almost expect that. Why? Because the majority of people in the world are not Samurai and not trained in the martial arts or learned about Bushido.
Does that make it ok?
No, of course not. We should do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, not because an ancient Japanese sword fighter told us to.
With that being said, I honestly believe that the world would be a much better place if everyone spent a few years, or even months training in the martial arts.
So, back to the eternal puzzle that is my brain. Why did all of these events bother me so much?
Setting the Expectation
When I hear about a dirty politician, I am sad but not surprised. It’s almost expected because there is a part of me – a sarcastic, cynical part – that believes that in order to be a politician you have to be a little power hungry, a little ruthless or a little corrupt (and sometimes not a just little).
But martial artists?! These are my people. They are warriors. They uphold the values of Bushido!
Except, not all of them do. And that’s what that really bothered me. It came down to two things:
- The confirmation that martial artists are, at the end of the day, people, just like politicians and doctors and cleaners and chefs and librarians.
- I believed we uphold a higher moral code – and I still do – than most people. That makes these events so much more shocking. It was the polar opposite, and therefore a shocking perversion, of everything that true martial artists are meant to represent.
Yes, we all make mistakes. I’ve made more than my fair share (if you are interested you can check out my chat with Jeremy Lesniak from Whistlekick Martial Arts Radio to hear my story). The dojo, in a very real way, is designed to do exactly that. It is a space where you come to learn, and part of learning is making mistakes. The mistakes in martial arts training can have very serious consequences. Making mistakes in sparring or wrestling can result in pain and injury, as well as experiencing frustration and failure. And failing to learn from mistakes in the dojo means experiencing these things over and over again (more on why you should fail more in training here).
But we have to remember that not everyone sees this in the same way.
What does this mean?
When there is so much turmoil in the world, and in the martial arts world, we need to be even more strict with ourselves. We need to set the example and lead from the front. We need to be more honest, humble and loyal. We need to make sure that what we say and what we do are in sync.
Yes, this also means more responsibility and a big challenge.
But if I know you dedicated martial artists our there, you are up for a challenge.
Here is my challenge to you:
Over the coming week, do something great for someone. Help someone who needs help, even if it’s only a something small (you never know what it means to someone else). And if you can, share with someone who is struggling how martial arts changed your life for the better.
How did martial arts change your life? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Oh, and you can find more interesting articles on this topic here, here and here
Stay safe, stay tuned.
Osu/Oss
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