Massugu

This expression, 真直 (Massugu), is one of my favorites in Japanese.  It is used to indicate "straight" when giving directions, but taken alone, the characters mean "true" and "direct".  When saying this about a person's character, 正直 (Shojiki) is used with the same the implication and it is usually meant as a compliment.

All too often, we have a way of complicating things.  We choose the indirect route, the long way round, or the compromise.  We fail to express ourselves openly, leaving others to guess at our intentions or desires.  We shy away from the tasks at hand, procrastinating until the result becomes unavoidable.  Our inertia gets the better of us. We over-analyze and fail to take action.

Directness is a vital element of success.  It puts pressure on action; on DELIVERY.  It forces us to get moving and keep moving.  It denies distraction and helps simplify.  Whether on or off the mats, the decisiveness connected with being direct is a powerful tool when we master it.

It can be very hard to do or say the right thing at the right time.  It requires a certain confidence and courage to stand up and deliver your own opinion, especially when it may be unpopular.  Sometimes we may imagine that bluntness will be poorly received, when in fact, telling the truth directly is often refreshing and genuine for everyone involved.

In his "Book of Five Rings", Miyamoto Musashi writes "In the strategy of my school, keep your mind and body straight and make your opponent go through contortions and twist about.  The essence is to defeat him when, in his mind, he is pivoting and twisting.  You should examine this well."  Of course, he means to keep your balance and structure, while taking it away from your opponent - the essence of all martial arts.  In daily life, too, it is important to keep balance and not be drawn into "pivoting and twisting" despite other people around us doing so.  There is a lot of value in practicing directness.

In the end it is the training, daily training, which creates our own habits and, ultimately, our own reality.

Keep going. Directly.

Pick Three

"Work. Sleep. Fitness. Family. Friends. Pick Three."  

I found the title of Randi Zuckerberg's new book (yes, THAT Zuckerberg) intriguing.  It certainly simplifies things.  It tells you right upfront that you simply won't have time to be everything to everyone.  It forces you to choose; to prioritize.

Maybe the truth is that we prioritize anyway, without it even being a conscious choice.  We somehow determine what is important to us and we go with it, perhaps without even thinking it through or weighing the opportunity costs of one versus another.

It also warns us of the risk of being a workaholic - you are likely to lose (at least) one of the other things you wanted (family? sleep? fitness? friends?)  Personally, I love to work but I surely don't want to be remembered as a workaholic - definitely not by my family or friends.

I hope this book digs deeper into understanding how to find balance in our lives.  I think many of us are desperately searching for some way to get everything we want (or think we want) out of life.  We are taught by MSM to want it all - and we do.  I spent years on far too little sleep, and I think it surely didn't make me happier or healthier, for example.

What would a similar book about martial arts be about?

striking/kicking. grappling/throwing/locking. health/longevity. culture/tradition/spirituality. combat effectiveness/practicality. pick three?  Where do weapons fit in??

I don't know about you, but I want them all.  Over the course of my life I've been focused on some aspects more than others.  Some, like culture/tradition have been with me since the beginning.  I learned my first words of Japanese on the mats in 1981.  Others are far more recent.  My insights into health/longevity are mostly derived from studies in Hilot (Filipino homeopathy) and Chinese medicine with Guro Fred Evrard.  While my early teachers taught me meditation (specifically Zazen), I have deepened my spiritual focus as I am getting older, and Guro Fred Evrard's influence on my Buddhist and Occult training has been significant.  What would your list look like??

Anyway, Randi Zuckerberg's book made the list.  I'll post again once I've read it.  If you read it first, send me a note and tell me what you think.

See you at class.