I knew that telling a lie was a bad thing, but I did it.
When I was in a primary school, I was taking Kendo lessons. But I didn’t like it. One day, when I was eight years old, on the way to a Kendo lesson, I noticed I left something and I had to go back to my home.
Once I got home, I didn’t want to go to the lesson, so I told my mom that “there is no class today,” which was totally untrue.
I didn’t join the Kendo class on the day, which I thought was a better choice, but in reality, I spent an awful time, feeling guilty, because I told a lie.
After many years, I contemplated why I didn’t like this martial art class.
It was too difficult for eight-year-old me to understand what this martial art was really teaching us. The ultimate goal of Kendo is NOT to perform well. It is to train our mind and soul to become stronger.
By the way, have you ever heard of Kendo? It is one of Japanese martial arts.
Kendo is this. (Photo by Bernd Viefhues on Unsplash)
Judo is more famous than Kendo. And you may have noticed those words are ending with “do”
Words ending with “Do”
Japan has several martial arts, such as Judo, Kendo, and Aikido. Those words end with “do.” Do (道) means a road or way originally.
Not only marshall arts, but some cultural activities have names ending with “do”, such as Sado (or Chado, tea ceremony) and Kado (flower arrangement).
The ultimate goal of those activities is to train our mind and soul and it is not to perform well.
If I knew this when I practiced Kendo, I might have enjoyed it more, and I didn’t have to tell a lie to my mom. I am not sure if I could understand this at the age of eight, though...
Here are some Do (道) activities.
Judo -- It is one of the Olympic events. (Photo by Joshua Jamias on Unsplash)
Aikido -- Aikido is a technique to protect ourselves when someone attacks you. (Photo by Nando García on Unsplash)
Sado (Chado) -- Sado is tea ceremony. (Photo by Roméo A. on Unsplash)
Kado (or Ikebana) -- Kado is flower arrangement. (Photo by W.S. Coda on Unsplash)
Kodo (incense burning ceremony) -- an aesthetic enjoyment of the fragrance of burning aromatic wood.
To know what Kodo is, watch this.
For all of these, the ultimate goal is not to perform well. Yes, performing well is important. But what we are doing is training our mind and soul through these martial arts, or cultural activities.
LET’S DO THIS
Are you taking any lessons?
Have you ever thought about the ultimate goal of learning what you are learning?
Let’s journal about it.
It doesn't have to be long. This is my example.
I am taking improvisation classes. The ultimate purpose of taking the lessons for me is to practice to be in the present moment. I often encounter the occasions where I don’t know what to say during the practice, but this is a good opportunity for me to practice stay in the present moment and accept all the experiences.
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