The soul of battle
Posted: 05 November 2003
Word Count: 58
Summary: Adrenaline’s companions in fight or flight.
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Luck is the warrior’s instrument,
Played by a master for you to appreciate.
Chance is the ronin’s shadow,
Wrapping shoulders to conceal intent.
Circumstance is the champion’s mistress,
Favouring him with success.
Instinct a knight’s foresight,
Forged with the weight of sufferance.
Courage is the will to pass beyond any weakness,
Outcome is secondary to the conflict internally.
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 Fearless at 15:50 on 05 November 2003
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Sam
True words, whether a warrior, soldier or street fighter.
Fearless
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Sam Rix at 19:28 on 05 November 2003
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Hi Fearless,
Thanks for the support, it needs a little 'tweeking', but I'll be mulling it over for a while I suspect.
I might have a fiddle with it, after training one night.
respect
Sam
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Fearless at 19:35 on 05 November 2003
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Sam
It's good, and I look forward to the tweaked version. Reminds me of the Japanese films 'Yojimbo' and 'Seven Samurai', as well as a line from an Isley Brothers song 'Dress me up for battle, when all I want is peace'.
Write on brother.
Fearless
P.S. also reminds me of 'Fist of Fury' when all in Reading were crazy with Bruce Lee mania during my childhood in the 1970s.
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 Elsie at 07:48 on 06 November 2003
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Very good. I shall have to go and look up 'ronin'. Shame on me. Like the last line especially.
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Sam Rix at 13:33 on 06 November 2003
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Hi Elsie,
Ronin:
Samurai without a home, without a lord or clan.
Many became villains, criminals and thugs.
Others returned to farming, some helped the poor.
A few became enlightened and became monks.
The essence I appreciate from this is the Budo aspect;
A masterless indomitable warrior with a code, true unto himself, those he protects and the honour he walks with.
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The Walrus at 20:50 on 06 November 2003
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Resonated strongly with me, being dubbed a Walrus aka warrior... yeah right. Anyway, I confess, I struggled with a couple of things.... Luck - the warrior's instrument? Surely the way of the warrior is based upon a path of no fear, no confusion, no expection. Luck, to my mind, is irrelevant. Secondly, does a warrior play to an audience? ('Played by a master for you to appreciate'). Finally, 'Instinct a knight’s foresight' - go with the instinct but does that result in foresight or something else, maybe strength, the deciding factor or err, I dunno.
Love the spirit of the poem Sam.
The Walrus
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Sam Rix at 21:53 on 06 November 2003
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Hi Walrus,
Cheers for the input on this.
In any battle, or challenge there are elements within the ‘contest’ which are out of the initial awareness and control of any 'fighter'.
A conditioned and skillful player will use these to their advantage.
Chance and luck exist when the circumstances allow you to use that ‘occurrence’ to your advantage. You have the reverse of this too…
Fear and confusion have no part in using that moment, fear of what could happen, confusion when it does happen means simply to lose. Just blend with it!
I’ll ask you a question:
If you are not afraid of losing, then what is there to fear?
In accepting that unexpected chance and making it part of your strategy, you find center.
Foresight, what is it?
I believe foresight is partly to do with conditioning, partly to do with experience, it is the sum of all we perceive to expect.
The same with instinct, what is instinct?
I believe instinct is a combination of foresight and the ‘X’ factor, the primitive extra perception way down in our sub consciousness.
Those that use the ‘witch blood’ well have tremendous instinctual abilities, which transcend learned foresight. Used together they are a supreme fusion.
Appreciation: Two good opponents will appreciate each other’s abilities and skills. If ever you get the chance to watch competitive friends or opponents with respect fight, you’ll see what I’m on about.
You’ll appreciate their dance…
Man you got me going all ‘Fil-sof-ik-al’!
That’ll bore the pants of the forum, some one pass me that huge hammer please…
Love and luck to you and yours
Sam
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The Walrus at 08:52 on 07 November 2003
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Morning Sam
Thank you for your considered response, the elements of which can be applied outside the physical combative sphere, to every circumstance and situation in every day life. Your comments also endorse my view that the 'unseen' is far more powerful than the 'seen' but, society is conditioned to believe only what is tangible. It is a pity, so much energy, power is never used, so much left unrealised.
As for your (probably rhetorical) question, there is nothing to fear.
Look forward to reading more of your poetry.
The Walrus
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Fearless at 11:20 on 07 November 2003
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Sam
The response reminds me Hagakure and Miyamoto Musashi's 'Book of five rings', but also La Corrida.
Aah, memories.
Fearless
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Sam Rix at 13:20 on 02 December 2003
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Hi Fearless,
Sorry I'm intermittently off line at the moment, so I'm messing with the flow¡K
Funny enough I haven¡¦t read the book of five rings yet, I¡¦ve picked up a copy and have set it aside due to that necessary wage earning job!
I guess I¡¦m trying to live something like a modern day samurai, a hard and painful path to try and follow, I might reach it by the time I¡¦m ninety. ƒº
If you don¡¦t try, you don¡¦t fail, but you never know if you could reach the stars either!
Love and luck to you and yours
Sam
<Added>
Hi Fearless,
Sorry I'm intermittently off line at the moment, so I'm messing with the flow.
Funny enough I haven't read the book of five rings yet, I've picked up a copy and have set it aside due to that necessary wage earning job!
I guess I'm trying to live something like a modern day samurai, a hard and painful path to try and follow, I might reach it by the time I'm ninety. :-)
If you don't try, you don't fail, but you never know if you could reach the stars either!
Love and luck to you and yours
Sam
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Fearless at 13:51 on 02 December 2003
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Sam
If you get a chance, check out the following Japanese films:
'Yojimbo' by Akira Kurosawa
'Sanjuro' by Akira Kurosawa
'Seven Samurai' by Akira Kurosawa
'Gohatto'
'Zatoichi' by Beat Takeshi (on limited release at art-house cinemas)
Fearless
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Sam Rix at 15:43 on 21 January 2004
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Hi Fearless,
Cheers for the references, I'll have a look into some of them.
I have 'Yojimbo' by Akira Kurosawa and
'Sanjuro' by Akira Kurosawa.
I have seen 'Seven Samurai' by Akira Kurosawa.
I will find 'Gohatto'
'Zatoichi' by Beat Takeshi to learn from. I haven’t seen these.
Incidentally, check out the last samurai out now, I had it on Great authority from a Japanese master (Mr Yamada 6th Dan Aikido/ Judo) that this was a very close representation of the Samurai code.
I have seen it and it made me weep in several places.
Regards
Sam
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