Article Translation:
400 Undefeated Fights! A Special Interview with legendary martial artist Rickson Gracie."Winning is not the most important thing, rather, it is important to NEVER BE DEFEATED."
Part 1-C: What is this "Modern Warrior" that pursues ones' happiness?
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| "It isn't like I blindly follow the ideas of Bushido (Way of the Warrior)." Photo by Takahiro Kohara |
Rickson: My vision of "the Modern Warrior" is a man who strives to live a just life while seeking out what he wants to obtain. All the while, never forgetting his goal of finding joy and happiness.
Being relentless with the idea of pursuing something you consider to bring yourself joy and happiness.
What's the purpose of your life if you are not pursuing something that brings you joy. Is it possible to live a fulfilled life without being happy? That's just how I feel.
I don't get the feeling that Musashi and many other fine Samurais, who shared this common philosophy, lived a life of satisfaction.
Q: Isn't Musashi your starting point for all this?
Rickson: For some reason there are a lot of people who share this misunderstanding. I have always held true to the concepts of Bushido, long before ever hearing of the name Musashi.
I came to deeply understand Bushido and began thinking it was a wonderful after reading the book titled "Shogun" by James Clavell. Actually, it was because of this book I came to understand the Samurai. I didn't read Musashi's "Book of Five Rings" until long after that.
My impressions after reading Musashi's book, was that he was very heartless person.
He lived a detached life, where his only aims in life were for the sake of fighting, the sake of winning, or for the sake of escaping death. He had no sense of death, while constantly fighting in battles purely for the sake of winning, as though he was a machine designed to fight.
As a result, I can't sympathize with him.
Q: So, your reason for fighting isn't "to win" ?
Rickson: I fought for a much greater reason, for example, to please and bring joy to my family. Additionally, being able to freely demonstrate some high level technique and skill gave me great joy. I stood in front of many opponents, left plenty of accolades from those battles and have created a tradition all because I was pursuing happiness.
The reason I had to climb over all the other fighters was because I was trying to achieve a rather daunting objective, happiness.
I do not just blindly revere the ideas of Bushido. Besides, I think it's easier to live life like the Samurai and be impervious to to your surroundings. A life where you do not prioritize yourself first is much easier to live.
However, if the center of the universe is not you, then you very well couldn't say it is your life that you are living.
Up Next: (1-D) A life that serves no value to anyone else has no value.
Article Source:
http://diamond.jp/articles/-/9482?page=3
Translation by:
Eliot Kelly
Eliot Kelly
www.edhbjj.com
"Read, Share, Train, Adapt"
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