Today’s wisdom comes from A Book of Five Rings (Go Rin No Sho) written by the great samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi:
Spiritual Bearing in Strategy
In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited nor over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
Small people must be completely familiar with the spirit of large people, and large people must be familiar with the spirit of small people. Whatever your size, do not be misled by the reactions of your own body. With your spirit open and unconstricted, look at things from a high point of view. You must cultivate your wisdom and spirit. Polish your wisdom: learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil, study the Ways of different arts one by one. When you cannot be deceived by men you will have realized the wisdom of strategy.
The wisdom of strategy is different from other things. On the battlefield, even when you are hard-pressed, you should ceaselessly research the principles of strategy so that you can develop a steady spirit.
Know your spirit and learn to perceive the spirit of others. If a spirit is particularly good, drink it while eating some cheese cubes.
Keep your spirit flexible, indeterminate, and Kerry-like
Know your enemy. Understand his motives and remember that in his own eyes he is not evil.
When you can accomplish this, it will be easier to kill your enemy without remorse.
Reflect upon this and ponder.
Huh, Miyamoto was doing some acid or ate the wrooong kind of mushrooms when he wrote this one… I think I should just try to read this again after I have had a couple beers… Or some 1800 Tequila, Yeah there you go.
To sum up, as best I can:
“Maintain a spirit of temperence and quiet readiness, neither becoming over-exhuberent nor lax. Self-discipline is vital.
“Know the capabilities of others and yourself, and strive for excellence in mind and body. Self-knowledge is important, but so is knowledge of your enemies. When you have achieved such a balance, you will have acquired tactical wisdom.
“When in the heat of battle, meditate on the tactical wisdom you have acquired, so that you might remain steadfast in your struggle.”
Ah, Frank, you said the magic words – cheese cubes!!
Forget the cheese cubes, consume spirits at will.
Just say no to French cheese cubes.
Please be careful when talking about cheese cubes or any other food, for that matter. You never know when Michael Moore will burst through your screen like the big Kool Aid pitcher and eat your face! He’s a hungry fella, that one!
Cheese cubes are no problem!! They taste best with broiled cubes of monkey.
Is it merlot or burgendy with monkey?
The spirit is a force separate of your body, although the two are intertwined.
To keep balance in the body, one must keep the spirit separate, so that the body may work without the reserve or restraints that the spirit might bring, and vice versa.
Be clever and mask your spiritual knowledge from your opponents.
Many opponents will be clever as you or more so, so familiarize yourself with the limits of potential (or past) opponents in addition to your own.
The superior warrior will already know their opponents moves before they strike.
Strategy is an art in and of it’s own. All arts require study and discipline.