Be a Samurai

“In a world of princesses, be a samurai,” the saying goes. But what does it mean to be a samurai? Perhaps, we have a pre-conceived idea of what a samurai is. We might picture a man dressed in armor carrying a large sword and killing his enemies willy-nilly. But there are more to the samurai than we think.

Nitobe Inazō was an author, educator, agricultural economist, diplomat, and politician during the pre-World War II period. Although there were other people in the past who had categorized Bushido, or “the way of the warrior,” it was Inazō who expanded this code of ethics into these eight things:

1. “Gi” means to do the right thing. Always choose what is good for the clan and even when alone.

2. “Yuuki” means bravery and courage. Show courage every day, every moment, in every situation.

3. “Jin” means kindness and compassion. Be kind to everyone and show compassion for your fellow human being.

4. “Rei” means politeness. Be polite to those you encounter, no matter what the situation.

5. “Makoto” means honesty. By your words and actions always be honest.

6. “Meiyo” means to enjoy honor. If you earn it, enjoy it.

7. “Chuugi” means to be loyal. Be trustworthy and show it unconditionally to others. Never sell anyone out for your own benefit.

8. “Jisei” means self-control. It is the ability to control your own emotion, thoughts and behaviors.

But how does this apply to modern times? It seems to me that several of these apply. The bravery and courage shown every day by our military, police, fire department personnel and even the average human being is astounding. To walk into a hostile situation knowing you may not come out alive takes a great deal of bravery.

The same can be said for those battling disease. When my mother was undergoing chemo for lung cancer, she once told me the treatment was worse than the disease. Yet she fought on with courage and determination.

Our political climate could use a whole lot of gi, rei, jin, makoto and jisei. Politicians lately it seems do not adhere to any of these. There is no honesty, there is certainly no self-control. In fact, in my perhaps not so humble opinion, they don’t show any of the samurai code of ethics. But then again, many of the public doesn’t either.

In the workplace, the true samurai spirit of ‘gi’ enables you to do the right thing without being forced to do it. Do what is required of you without complaint, without being lazy or grumpy. That doesn’t mean you should let your managers walk all over you. What it means is that when you are given a task, do it to the best of your ability and do it willingly.

Live an honest life, a life with ‘makoto’ – honesty and integrity. This is something you do for yourself, to enhance your own personal growth and spiritual wellbeing. It’s something others can see, because you can’t hide it or fake it. Your personal honesty and integrity will show through when you are in society; it is manifested when dealing with others. It earns you respect from your fellow human being. Always remember, respect is not something you get on demand, genuine respect is earned.

For the samurai, honor and loyalty were top priority and to break one or the other was considered a disgrace. The meaning of loyalty is ‘giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.’ That may be to your parents, your husband or wife, your company. Loyalty means to genuinely have their best interests at heart, whether you agree with them or not.

Self-control (Jisei) is the ability to refrain from undesirable behavior, and to alter your responses to increase desirable outcomes. Self-control is necessary to achieve long-term goals. It’s necessary when speaking to other on topics that provoke contention. It can also be important for one’s own health and well-being. How many people in this day and age exhibit self-control? Whenever we turn on the TV, there are examples of what not to do.

‘Meiyo’ is means to enjoy earned honor. A performer comes out for a curtain call and the audience applauds because the performer deserves it. That performer worked hard, and they have a right to enjoy the honor and adulation from the audience. But there is a fine balance between being conceited and enjoying what you’ve earned.

In conclusion, we could learn a lot from the samurai code of ethics, and it might be a good idea to try to apply it in our daily life.