Budo - The Way of the Warrior

Many people translate Budo as “the way of war”, but “to stop conflict” is probably a better definition. From a soldiers point of view it may be easier to see, but how does the modern martial artist use this principle in the everyday life?

The modern warrior seeks peace and is a master of resolving conflict. He strives for peace while at the same time not allowing himself to become a victim. He has learned the ways of the world by observing nature, and adopting the successful strategies and principles of others. Knowing that he can’t do any good for his family or his community if abused, victimized or dead; he defends his place in the universe. There are several ways of defending against threats, and the first is simply don’t be there. This is the art of awareness, the art of avoiding dangerous situations and always taking positions of relative safety. When you find yourself in a crisis situation, then avoidance is a solution. Using the way of the crane, he uses angling and stepping off the line of attack as a common tactic. This strategy demands the psychological attribute or ability to give up or yield a position, as well as the physical traits of balance and agility. The modern warrior also uses the tactics of the leopard, yielding to aggression until the time is right for a defense. The civilian on the other hand, stands strong and hardens his position, many time suffering the same fate as the mighty oak tree during a wind storm

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The warrior looks for the win-win situation in every encounter while the civilian sees this tactic as weak and ineffective. A key principle in looking for the win-win, is to truly know yourself and your opponent. Many times what the civilian sees as the attack, is only a posture and the true intent and attack is hidden. The warrior has the ability to see things as they really are, and therefore is guaranteed success before the action begins.

In combat, attacks are usually fairly obvious, but in general, most attacks to our well being are subtle and almost undetected. Sometimes, simply hanging around people with negative attitudes can be a tremendous threat. Many negative comments, that do indeed threaten your success in life, need to be neutralized with positive thinking, clearly defined goals, and proactive action based strategies. This is why you may see students doing push ups in the dojo for using "the four-letter word can't!"

Having a positive attitude, setting goals and being proactive won’t allow you to do everything, but it will allow you to do everything better than negative thinking and tactics will.