Ian Christie
10th January 2004, 17:56
There must be, at some time in a person's (young) life, when a defined character begins to take shape. What determines this, I am not quite sure, it's obviously a combination of more than one thing, parents, friends, those few experiences to which they have been exposed. I have seen some terrible little rodents of children come from some very pleasant adults. As a person grows physically, they also grow spiritually and intellectually. I wonder though, if that once that defined character has come into place, is it ever able to be radically changed? I would lean towards, "yes," though I believe it to be the exception rather than the rule.
Everyday you meet and talk with people who range from virtuous to morally debauched. People who are courageous and those who are cowards. Each of us has a defining set of characteristics that make us who we are, they define, obviously, our character. All of us here, are or work to be better through our budo or bujutsu. Some wish to be physically stronger, others wish to find spiritual strength. Our character determines why we wish to be better. There are very few who train for the “right” reasons.
However, I believe that budo can provide a way to remedy corrupted character. To walk the Way, one must fit themselves to It. And It calls for the budoka to be of sound morals, spirit, and character. Those who do not have these will soon find that they have wandered from the Way and have gotten lost.
This doesn’t mean that when we embark on our journey we have already achieved the above, not at all. The beginning budoka can’t be fully ready to walk the Way when they begin on the path, otherwise they would already be at the end of it (even though it never really ends...) What he or she must be have, is a willingness to change themselves for their art. They must be actively attempting to change anything in themselves that impedes their training.
Everyday you meet and talk with people who range from virtuous to morally debauched. People who are courageous and those who are cowards. Each of us has a defining set of characteristics that make us who we are, they define, obviously, our character. All of us here, are or work to be better through our budo or bujutsu. Some wish to be physically stronger, others wish to find spiritual strength. Our character determines why we wish to be better. There are very few who train for the “right” reasons.
However, I believe that budo can provide a way to remedy corrupted character. To walk the Way, one must fit themselves to It. And It calls for the budoka to be of sound morals, spirit, and character. Those who do not have these will soon find that they have wandered from the Way and have gotten lost.
This doesn’t mean that when we embark on our journey we have already achieved the above, not at all. The beginning budoka can’t be fully ready to walk the Way when they begin on the path, otherwise they would already be at the end of it (even though it never really ends...) What he or she must be have, is a willingness to change themselves for their art. They must be actively attempting to change anything in themselves that impedes their training.