tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post6858354329216659089..comments2023-10-22T16:13:55.130+01:00Comments on My journey to black belt: Happiness is.....being a modern day Samurai.Sue Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-77341778369455125852011-05-06T07:47:27.964+01:002011-05-06T07:47:27.964+01:00Thank you so much for your support Matt, it's ...Thank you so much for your support Matt, it's very appreciated :-)Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-14495025002312109872011-05-05T23:17:19.986+01:002011-05-05T23:17:19.986+01:00Anonymous, whoever you are.
Some of your comment...Anonymous, whoever you are. <br /><br />Some of your comments are way off base, particularly this one. “You should write for those women's 'wellness' magazines, I think you'd be great at it. For the love of Jove I don't see what an ancient martial code from a culture halfway across the globe has to do with modern civilian life in the western hemisphere”.<br /><br />First of all, Sue has earned the respect of many of us in the martial arts blog community by her interesting, insightful, and honest writing. She backs it up by putting her name behind her thoughts. Do you? If you want your thoughts to be taken seriously, I'd encourage you to do the same.<br /><br />Second, this ancient martial code has everything to do with today's reality. Did you not witness the way the Japanese handled their recent tragedy? With dignity and restraint. How many other nations would have fallen apart at the seams, with rioting, looting, etc.? The reason: their martial code passed from generation to generation. It matters today more than ever.<br /><br />For myself, this post made me think about how my life could be more complete. As martial artists, we should strive always to be better people. Well done Sue.SenseiMattKleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254893613341712236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-85427250697697279302011-05-05T23:14:26.752+01:002011-05-05T23:14:26.752+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.SenseiMattKleinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254893613341712236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-46764038316457762632011-05-02T18:17:50.359+01:002011-05-02T18:17:50.359+01:00Thanks Ninja ;-)Thanks Ninja ;-)Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-84042902800361663782011-05-01T20:31:39.881+01:002011-05-01T20:31:39.881+01:00I really like this post.I really like this post.Ninja Weaponshttp://www.ninja-training-techniques.com/ninja-products/ninja-weaponsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-1101181823013189312011-04-30T13:03:30.852+01:002011-04-30T13:03:30.852+01:00Anon. Has anyone told you that you take things a l...Anon. Has anyone told you that you take things a little bit too literally? No one is suggesting that a modern day samurai is someone who literally wants to impersonate a samurai warrior and go into battle, sword, armour and all! It's more a figure of speech. There is nothing wrong with identifying the positive values of an old culture and seeing how they might apply to your own life. Everyone knows that there was also much brutality in feudal Japan and no one wants to emulate that - the bad can be left in the past, the good can be applied to today - that's progress in humanity.<br /><br />I'm not personally into women's magazines but no doubt in some of them there are some well written articles written by some excellent writers. However, I can't help feeling your comment was intended to be a personal put down and that is not appreciated on this blog. <br /><br />I maintain an open comments policy on this blog because I want to hear the views of everybody and not be selective or delete negative comments. However, I do request that negative commenter's have the courage and courtesy to identify themselves so please leave your name next time.Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-20978168135898923842011-04-30T11:44:53.050+01:002011-04-30T11:44:53.050+01:00@Journeyman: your way of reasoning is completely c...@Journeyman: your way of reasoning is completely contrary to the way samurai were supposed to behave. The two core concepts of Bushido were unquestionable, unthinking loyalty to one's master and killing/dying as the supreme virtue and honour. Do you really think you'd want to incorperate this fascism/militarism in your life, if it were even possible? It's funny how people with little knowledge about history or ethics mish and mash concepts and pick whatever they like while thinking they live 'the martial way', whatever that may be for a non-soldier. Courage, loyalty, benevolence and likewise virtues weren't invented by the samurai so there is really no need to dress it up in a historically inaccurate fashion as presented in this blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-27956277289232065172011-04-30T11:19:13.260+01:002011-04-30T11:19:13.260+01:00'Modern day Samurai' is a contradiction in...'Modern day Samurai' is a contradiction in terms since the samurai class was officially abolished during the Meiji Era and a quite preposterous notion when you think about it. Compare it to someone telling you they're 'a modern day knight' and you'll see how ridiculous it is. You've got to love those internet warriors/martial artists and their delusions of grandeur, being civilians who'll never see a battlefield up close. At least not a live one. You really think war is glamorous or very conductive to happiness? People really do see what they want to see, don't they?<br /><br />You should write for those women's 'wellness' magazines, I think you'd be great at it. For the love of Jove I don't see what an ancient martial code from a culture halfway across the globe has to do with modern civilian life in the western hemisphere. What's next: a comparison with the European code of chivalry? At least that'd be closer to home. You're remarkable gullible when it comes to idealised myths regarding historical phenomena: do you really think Bushido was anything more than window-dressing/propaganda for ruthless rulers and paid killers? There are more (and far more reliable) sources than the internet or popularized books written centuries after the height of samurai power. By way of introduction you might want to read this: http://www.friesian.com/divebomb.htm. From the essay:<br /><br />"What bushidô was originally all about is now open to debate. G. Cameron Hurst III argued in "Death, honor, and loyalty: the bushido ideal" [Philosophy East and West, Volume XL, No. 4, October 1990, pp.511-527] that 20th century notions about bushidô mostly have nothing to do with the samurai but are based on an 1899 book by Nitobe Inazô (1862-1933), Bushidô: The Soul of Japan. Nitobe was Western educated, knew relatively little about Japanese history, and even thought that he had coined the word bushidô himself. His ability to faithfully represent Japanese history, culture, and values is thus sorely in question."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-72601442708202139732011-04-29T14:38:12.005+01:002011-04-29T14:38:12.005+01:00Charles, sorry! There wasn't a category for &#...Charles, sorry! There wasn't a category for 'way of life' and for many, martial arts IS just a hobby! For you, me and many others it's more than that but, hey, the psychologists clearly haven't caught up with that idea yet :-)<br /><br />And before you mention it, no, I wasn't going to suggest that being willing to lay down your life for your daimyo was an absorbing hobby for the samurai! (my attempt at jocularity):-)Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-82514858237898928142011-04-28T23:11:46.834+01:002011-04-28T23:11:46.834+01:00Sue ... "totally absorbed in a hobby"
...Sue ... "totally absorbed in a hobby" <br /><br />Hobby, Hobby! MA ain't no stinkin hobby!<br /><br />Now everyone, roll on the floor with laughter ... my intent at jocularity ...Charles Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812618556413423872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-73680258862955157332011-04-28T15:12:17.313+01:002011-04-28T15:12:17.313+01:00Journeyman, the work/life balance is a big struggl...Journeyman, the work/life balance is a big struggle for many people. I think being dedicated to martial arts is a good route to happiness. Let's face it, it ticks at least half of the boxes: social life, belief system, altruism (if you're volunteering your time to help out with things in your club with no expectation of reward), goals and ambitions, and being totally absorbed in a hobby. What could be better?Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-9153731070666015402011-04-27T23:36:40.467+01:002011-04-27T23:36:40.467+01:00The Bushido code is interesting. We have romantic...The Bushido code is interesting. We have romanticized it somewhat but most of the core concepts can apply to modern life. It's a matter of perspective. Being absolutely loyal to one's master, regardless of their moral character can be negative, but being absolutely loyal to an ideal or an admired teacher can be positive.<br /><br />I don't know how virtuous I am, but I'm working on it. The biggest challenge with chasing happiness is maintaining balance in our lives. This is what I struggle with. With so few hours in a day, it's tough not to let something fall off the table.<br /><br />I can't help but think we're all trying to be modern day Samurai on our journey through the arts.Journeymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00146093025259375890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-36695329063798823612011-04-27T16:27:03.257+01:002011-04-27T16:27:03.257+01:00Sue, absolutely awesome response ... Kudos once ag...Sue, absolutely awesome response ... Kudos once again ;-)Charles Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812618556413423872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-13257726758277397832011-04-27T08:45:22.845+01:002011-04-27T08:45:22.845+01:00Hi Charles, yes I did know that and the behaviour ...Hi Charles, yes I did know that and the behaviour of Samurai changed a lot through the various eras of feudal Japan. It probably wasn't until the Muromachi period during 14th-16th centuries that Samurai became more professional and 'virtuous' in their behaviour. Various books on how to behave were written at the time to guide samurai but it's true that the 'seven virtues' weren't written down until 19th century - but that doesn't mean it wasn't based on the actual way samurai had been behaving for the previous few hundred years. I suppose you could consider it a retrospective summary of previous samurai behaviour! Here's a link to a paper about the life of samurai in medieval Japan: http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/curriculum/imaging-japanese-history/medieval/pdfs/handout-M2.pdf<br /><br />Rahrah, hi, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for visiting my blog.Sue Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16008609198511182782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-19516680571857840392011-04-27T06:04:20.699+01:002011-04-27T06:04:20.699+01:00I really love this analogy! Great post.I really love this analogy! Great post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7361443425638782419.post-75166890322228742962011-04-26T21:00:06.523+01:002011-04-26T21:00:06.523+01:00Hi, Sue:
Did you know that Bushido and these seve...Hi, Sue:<br /><br />Did you know that Bushido and these seven virtues were not actually coined until written in the book bushido late 1800's or was it early 1900's?<br /><br />;-)<br /><br />I believe, yet would have to go back and check, that these and the code didn't really exist during the time of the Samurai ...<br /><br />Am I being to pickyunnnn?Charles Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812618556413423872noreply@blogger.com