Musashi kicks off his 21 rules with a hard-hitting, very stoic rule to live by. Musashi lived a long incredible life and made a lot of friends and even more enemies. There were times he was banished from whole villages and other times he was tracked down by swordsmen seeking revenge.

Musashi grew up in a war-torn Japan and fought in his first battle before he was twenty. He killed his first man before the rest of us had graduated middle school. Needless to say, he had a hard life.

Musashi could have taken a woe-is-me attitude to all his hardships. If anyone would have had a right to it’d be him. But we don’t have any writings from Musashi complaining about his circumstances or life. We see the opposite. We hear him talk about his training and following the Way. All things inside of his control.

He couldn’t control when or where he was born. But he could control how he spent his time and what he did with his life. So he dedicated himself to his sword and became the most famous swordsman in history.

The same thing goes for us. We have to learn to focus on the things we can control and block out the rest.

Focus On What We Can Control

Does Musashi mean that we should literally accept everything? Yes and no. Accept everything outside of our control yes. But not the things in our control. Life is going to be full of horrific evils and unbelievable goodness. We have to be able to traverse through these events because these events are life.

We are not so ignorant to think that we will dodge evil all through our lives, are we? The future will bring pain but with that endurance, loss but with that courage, failures but with that discipline, and injustice but even with that, we will find justice. But only if we choose.

Some will go through life and be consumed by their pain. They will never rise above their faults and losses. They will give in and become the very things that torment them. They will complain and gripe, talk down, and discourage. Is this the path of a human being? Surely not!

“We must learn to put up with what we cannot avoid. Our life, like the harmony of the world, is composed of contrary things – of diverse tones, sweet and harsh, sharp and flat, sprightly and solemn. The musician who only loved some of them – what could he be able to do? He has to know how to make use of them all, and be able to mix them together. We must do the same with good and the bad, which are of the same substance as our lives.

Montaigne

We won’t avoid evil and hardships. We have to learn to put up with them. Notice that he says “learn.” It’s a skill, one that takes time under tension to grow. It won’t happen overnight but we can choose to start learning. We can choose to start seeing the world not as an enemy but as indifferent. What is not indifferent, however, is what we do.

The world will be full of good, love, joy, and meaning. It will also be full of evil, anger, pain, and grief. We must learn to use both the good and the bad in our lives. Why? Because we know they will both be there so we better be prepared.

What This Looks Like In Practice

It’s easy to say “Focus on what you can control and accept everything just the way it is” but what about the real world? The world where horrible things happen for no reason. The world where things happen that I can’t do anything about. What about that world?

What about if a friend or family member gets a terminal illness? What’s in your control in that scenario? Your reaction and your actions as always. Will you break down and be of no use or will you use the endurance God has given you and be there for your loved one?

No, you can’t change what has happened but you can choose how you respond and react. And you can react in love and wisdom, not emotion and anger.

What about if you get fired for something you didn’t do? What’s in your control in that scenario? Your reaction and your actions as always. Will you storm out cussing and vow to get your revenge or will you exit calmly holding your head high in innocence and move on as if no wrong had been done?

The list could go on forever but the point is that not everything is in our control but some things are. And those things deserve our utmost attention and focus.

I can hear your issues as I write. “I scream out with anger because I don’t understand why. Why is this thing happening, what is the purpose of those things?”

I have a question to ask back at you my friend. Why have you made such little progress? Why do those things still bother you and why is that thing still happening after all this time? Are you lost? Have you forgotten the mission? You are a human being and yet you act as if you have nothing to do. Get busy, I say, and do your job as a human!

The Duty Of A Warrior Human Being

As Montaigne said, we must learn to put up with what we cannot avoid and use both the good and the bad in our lives. It won’t be easy and it won’t be as simple in practice. But it is nevertheless, essential that we be the keenest students and learn to follow in Musashi’s footsteps here. Think about the things inside and outside your control throughout the rest of the day or week.

There will be nothing easy about it but that’s why it’s worth it. Talk is cheap, action is priceless.

Even a path of a thousand ri (almost two and a half miles) is walked one step at a time. Do not hurry, but carry out this practice steadily, remembering that it is the duty of a warrior human being.

This is a quote from Musashi that I’ve altered slightly. In the original he uses the word “Warrior” but as you see I’ve changed it to “human being” to make it more relatable.

Musashi understood the importance of action and of starting.

Take notice of his advice not to hurry. Don’t be in a hurry but be steadfast. If you begin a long journey at a sprint it won’t be long before you have to stop. But if you’re steady in your steps you won’t need to take breaks. You will walk steadily toward your goal until you reach it.

This is more than a good idea or wise words. It is our duty.

We all have a duty as human beings to be better. “Better than who?” you ask. Better than who you are right now! I respond.