CONVERSATION WITH A SAMURAI

I realized that there are so many ways of talking to people or simply getting to learn from them- I had the chance to talk to a Samurai, through a book. I am not crazy, just blunt-so the book was all about the way of the Samurai and what it means to be a warrior to them.
Have you ever heard of the legend of the Knights? Or better yet the Knights of the Round table in Arthurian legend? The highest and most prestigious honor in this order of the knights is known as the Order of the Garter. The patron saint of this order is St. George. He is known in history as the knight who successfully slayed so many dragons, and who never lost his cool. For the warrior, they look up to George-but there's something different about his statute or emblem if I may call it.

View image on Bing

Take a closer look at the picture above, can you see it? For a knight who is believed to have slayed many dragons, his emblem only has him with a spear (in other emblems he has a sword) to the dragons throat! That's what makes the difference here according to me, for to be a warrior you must tame your desire for vengeance and power. According to the Samurai, a warrior does not waste his/her energy but concentrates it into an immovable determination to accomplish his/her objectives. How does this relate to the common person say like me and you?

Simply put, everyone is a warrior-because we face challenges that we have to overcome. We are lucky nowadays that they are not fire breathing dragons and we don't have to wear heavy metallic armor to war, but even so our battles are more internal. We are constantly at war with ourselves and at times we lose when we let others control us for their own satisfcation or gain. So, for the samurai- you do not attack your opponent, rather before you thrust your sword in them you look in their eyes and see yourself there. It is some deep stuff to tell a warrior who expects to annihilate his/her enemy, but it is true. For the warrior there are four things expected:

1. Know there is a way.
2. Find a way.
3. Take action on the basis of the knowledge that you find.
4. Keep at it.

Their motto is "expect nothing,be prepared for anything."  Shissai on the other hand, said and lived by, the motto "a warrior must only take care that his spirit is never broken." With all the struggles we have, always trying to figure out what's best for who and at what time, and how we can change and make life better and such stuff, it is always good to bear in mind that nothing comes easy because we are resistant to change. That an optimistic outlook in these times is hard to maintain, that though human beings have the power to exhibit abundance and joy, they rarely do. There are so many who are quick to shun a smile into a frown, and all that matters is the fact that, as Shissai says, your spirit is not broken.
Keep smiling people....look out for good,that's the battle.