What violence does for us is it lets us be an image of life. violence gives us respect for our lives, and all life. it tells us that we are alive, by putting death in our face, and forces us to understand that life is a gift. That is why the martial artist constantly treasures life. That is why Bushido exists, that is who Bruce Lee is. That is why the man who faces violence bravely learns to love his own life and all life around him. He becomes a spiritual being the more his life is defined by death. And the more he faces death the more he acknowledges death too as a phase of our existence, and the line crossed between life and death, existence and non-existence is something we must be very reverent towards. Every second must be appreciated, ever chirp by every bird, and view of a horizon or night sky, every smell, every conversation, must be cherished relished and appreciated to he utmost, because it is extremely temporary. That is Bushido. That is why violence is good, and a gift and a necessary part of life. Make no mistake about it, there will be no peace. Just as there is none in the animal kingdom, there is always predator and prey. There are times where total wart is in order, and at times you must kill fellow human beings.
We must protect ourselves. Defense is our dignity.To defend yourself is to respect yourself, and value your life, and again at the same time it is to acknowledge the value of all life, and be considerate of other humans. This way we create real men. That is why to be a warrior satisfies us, because in insuring our survival we satisfy the criteria of our humanness. Without preparation for violence we are pitiful. Ever since we stopped hunting and gathering, and stayed in one place, authority beyond our fathers came in the name of the state. They put a monopoly on violence and said that we would not have to protect ourselves, because they would do it for us. At that very moment man lost his dignity. By giving up protection by your own means you are no longer an animal but are now a mere human. This is a corruption of what we naturally are. This is why the modern man is chubby, and slow and undisciplined, and needy, and rarely self reliant. The man of the state who has given up his right to distribute his own violence is not a man. This is why martial arts dignifies us, because we are autonomous. this is why men love weapons… This is why martial arts are good.
But what are martial arts, what is protection? Is attacking the bear head of another man with a peace of metal so profound, so beautiful?
Why are all my role models supporters of non violence? What can be said of that? and if violence is the apex of human action why arent those who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima the wisest people in the world? it seems more so that violence is something that no one who has experienced wants. How can we reach peace in reverence for violence? What could be more dangerous than a culture of violence aspiring to violence? Are the men of these violent societies not going to search out violence in order to define their violent identities, and prove their selves as men? Does an identity not seek to clarify itself by such images? Surely it does…..
What can we call protection? a fist is always more dangerous then a palm, a gun always more protection than a fist, and two guns are much more dangerous than one. And what follows this? armies… bombs…. hydrogen bombs, the stock piling of warheads. If we follow the road to protection we only find ourselves in more danger. What is true protection? I can argue that I was never so safe as naked as I was the day I was born. I say that martin Luther King, Gandhi, Steven Biko, Nelson Mandela, would all agree with me that defense and protection is self love, and respect for life. . This alone satisfies the criteria of our humanness. Is not the greatest protection to spread love, and be sincere, and acknowledge the brotherhood of all humans? Is it not more dangerous to face a gun when you have a gun, than when you hold open hands and welcome those who would kill you? It is not true strength to turn the cheek? This is not only self love, this is love for all humanity. This is true manhood and true strength.
Really it is not violence that gives us love for life, it is pain. So we must acknowledge the pain in life and discipline ourselves accordingly. We must face the beauty of life, and value every moment, in contrast with the pain. Our discipline is gratitude for the gift of life. It is gratitude for our bodies. Our discipline is appreciation. When we lack discipline and reserve and overindulge in desires we disrespect our ourselves and the rivers and the mountains and the air and the birds, and bring ourselves closer to death. When we show reserve and face pain we are closer to life. We need to respect our bodies, and discipline them. Make them strong, fast, and healthy. And know that destruction is inevitable. That is enough. We do not need to search out that violence, the destruction.
So I tell you, I will not invest my time in studying the techniques of killing other men or the stock piling of warheads. With out self respct these practices are worthless. The only criteria for my manhood or my humanness is simply to respect myself and value my life, and acknowledge that death will come, and I cannot stop it, and the best thing I can do is to spread love, and ensure that my family, my people, my earth grow together. My respect for the sanctity of life is the most powerful weapon on earth. It is the true way of all warriors.
The most dangerous mistake is to call myself a warrior. Violence must be a part of life, but it must not be life. The issue is that we must not think of ourselves in terms of violence. The problem with the warrior identity is you live for the sake of protection. You say “I will fuck you up for my life’s sake”, so then you go looking for fights, in order to define your life as protected. However there is no threat from your brothers. Sometimes they must kill you and you must kill them, however even if you are threatened bravado does not make you any safer. The only thing that makes you safer is the ability to face death sincerely. Can I say there is no reason for guns? Can I say there will never be a time when someone is trying to kill me? Or when I will try to kill someone? no I cannot. But violence never makes us more than human. Violence will never give our lives meaning. That is the illusion; that we are enhanced by our violence. But violence is exactly what it is; it is physics interfering the the operation of organic mechanical functions. It is nothing grand at all. We are all men and can only ever be men. Therefore we must be wary of the worship of violence. It must not be our guide.
In quitting the practice of techniques for killing, you may say I am putting myself in danger, or maybe even that I am less of a man. But I would say I am safer, and respect myself even more than the warrior does himself. You may ask “won’t those who have been practicing killing techniques and creating new technology be able to kill you?” And I will say, definitely, but… that is their mistake, and their vulnerability. injustices directed towards me do not limit my freedom. My freedom is my own to conduct. The way of death is the right of all humans; strong or weak. In this I can worship all bodies, the death of all forms, the passing over the line of life and death, is always dignified. I must know that there is always someone stronger who can kill me. What I can do is value my life and never let anyone compromise the way I live it, otherwise I will and resign myself to death. This is true value for life. This is the best thing we can do.
マンツーマン英会話が1時間2000円! 格安 英会話レッスンはIHCWAYで決まり!
