The Warrior Wisdom of Musashi

When you attack the enemy, your spirit must go to the extent of pulling the stakes our of a wall and using them as spears. Miyamoto Musashi

This is a quote from Musashi that most people have not heard before, unless of course, they have studied Musashi’s writings. At first, it appears to be a very strange quote, but to the warrior, it makes perfect sense.

What Musashi is trying to get across to us is when we are in a life-or-death situation, one in which we must attack our enemy, we must use anything and everything to defeat him and walk away alive. Think about it. If you are so determined that you are ripping apart a wall to use it as a weapon, you are completely, 100% going to do whatever it takes to survive.

Of course, pulling pieces of the wall out to use as a weapon is not something we would do today, but no matter where you are in your home, you are surrounded by weapons. This may sound strange to you, but it is true.

As I sit here writing in my office, just on the desk in front of me are multiple items which could be used as weapons, such as: my glasses, my tea cup, a stapler, tape dispenser. my phone, my pen, etc. Almost everything can be used as a weapon if you understand how to attack the human body.

No matter where you are, you can find something to use to defend yourself. And when your life is threatened, and you have no other choice, you should use whatever it takes to survive. Honor and compassion play no part in surviving a vicious attack!

I have heard some martial artists talk about how they would only fight honorably if they were attacked. These are people who have no clue what they are talking about! Fighting honorably only applies to sports and competitions, not to a real fight. In a real fight, their are no rules; the only thing that matters is survival. Musashi understood this and you should too.

If your life, or the life of someone else, is on the line, use whatever you need to in order to survive! It is not dishonorable to use a brick or a steal pipe, or anything else for that matter. I cannot stress enough the fact that honor plays no part in a real fight.

Warriors and true martial artists train to survive. While I do teach a lot on honor, character, and integrity, they are not a part of a real fight; those concepts are for living your daily life. Thankfully, a vicious attack is not a part of our everyday life.

If you ever find yourself with no other option but physically defending yourself or someone else, you better be willing to use whatever it takes to survive, because I can guarantee you that your attacker will be doing that. He won’t be worried about fighting honorably or not hurting you too badly.

Strive to live an honorable life every day, but develop the warrior mindset when it comes to self-defense. The two are no at odds with one another. The warrior lifestyle encompasses much more than living with honor and integrity. Make sure your training is balanced and complete! Warrior up! Bohdi Sanders ~ author of the bestseller, Musashi’s Dokkodo: The Way of the Lone Warrior, available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884295.

Signed copies are available from: https://thewisdomwarrior.com/bookstore/.