9 September 2016

Me me me

Kendo is all about me me me.

But the attention that 'me' will enjoy is about criticism, defeat, failure, the blunt reminder that the 'me' is so hopelessly imperfect.

'Kokki' 克己 means 'overcome your own weakness' and this motto is often printed on a tenugui. It's nothing new. I bet the Romans and the ancient Greeks had something similar, but in the modern society, such value is getting rarer.

Even in a competitive setup, kendo is all about me, not about your opponent. Once you stop thinking about your opponent and think about what YOU are doing, that should make more sense.

Your opponent/partner is almost incidental, just a mirror, the mirror that reflects you.

You need them, but they are not the end purpose.