Worrying changes nothing

A small ship on a routine voyage was suddenly struck by a terrible storm. Realizing that they were either going to sink or crash against the rocks, the sailors and passengers were thrown into chaos. People panicking and screaming, some even jumping overboard. In the midst of the mayhem a samurai was napping until one of the sailors fell and woke him.

“What’s all this running about, you silly nitwits?” the samurai asked menacingly. “If you are destined to feed the fish, it will happen. You distrust Nature that gave you life? Worrying will not change anything. Either it will happen or it won’t, but if you run around and cry you dishonor yourself, and I will certainly carve you to pieces.”

People knew that the samurai never joked, so they pulled themselves together immediately and the samurai resumed his nap. The storm calmed almost instantly, and the weather-worn ship reached the shore.

Bushi-Do states that in this world of illusions there is nothing worthy of one’s anxiety. A samurai must have cold-blooded confidence in Destiny and face any danger with stoic composure. Like a monk, a warrior should live out his destiny calmly. But at the same time a warrior is a man of action; he must move with maximum energy, try everything to be victorious, and then let Destiny decide.

Read more in Samurai: Spirit of the Warrior

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This a chapter from Spirit of the Warrior by A. R. Berg