Still here

Yes I'm still here.  I know it has been longer than I would have liked.  My new work schedule and I are still getting acquainted with one another.  Working 1400-2200 hours is a nice refreshing change of pace and I enjoy the fact I can stay up late and sleep in, however there are things I need to be doing/get back to doing.  That requires discipline which something I have often lacked in my life.  I start out hard and strong and anything I set out to do and usually within a few weeks or months I burn out and fade away with only half or partial results.  It is something I have been trying to instill into myself for a very long time.  Which I think is way I have always been fascinated by the Samurai life style or perhaps the life style of martial artist in general.  They have a level of discipline I would love to instill in myself.  Musashi said to "Never stray from the way" in that in whatever way we choose to live we should devote ourselves to that life style fully or not at all.  Which suits me well as I am a person of extremes or perhaps a better description would be that I have a one tracked mind.  Once I get started on something I go as hard as I can until I either complete what I set out to do or become burned out while trying to achieve whatever goal I am after.  It really is a vicious cycle with me.  I am perhaps my own greatest enemy, but I assume that many of us often are.  In any case I've got to pick up where I left off before I changed employment and get myself back into a routine to follow.  On one side note I am considering making this blog my blog on all things, not just my blog on Samurai precepts.  I've enjoyed getting back into writing and I think I'll be doing it here.  So if you see unrelated post that is whats going on.

"If you walk, just walk.  If you sit, just sit.  But whatever you do, don't wobble." - Master Ummon

-Brandt

To Serve

The word samurai literally means "to serve".  For the historical samurai this was service to a feudal lord.  For the modern person it could  be any variety of things or people.  We could find ourselves in service to the public, to our families, to our friends, to gods or goddesses, to our employers, and to ourselves.  All of us will serve in some capacity or function in our lives.  In order to serve our best we must try and seek out the various relationships between the people and functions we serve, better yet once we identify those relationships we need to understand them.  For example I'm in service to my employer, because I need money in order to be in service to my wife i.e. I need money to pay the bills and support my family.  That is a simple example no doubt.  Still there is more to it.  I try to serve my employer the best I can in hopes of obtaining a raise or a promotion which cycles back to the fact that I have a family to support and more money would help that cause.  Even more so in the course of my job I am in service to the public order.  I chose this line of work (public safety), because I enjoy being in the service of others.  It is a cycle really.  One service impacts another.  I realize this is really nothing new to many of you and you might be thinking where I'm going with this and what I'm getting at is the "service" aspect.  Many of us just get up and do what needs to be in order to survive.  I don't think the goal is to just survive, but to try and thrive.  We should get up each morning and be eager to serve.  What is wisdom, talent, or ability without a driving purpose behind it?  Find that purpose, that passion, and go out there and lay it all on the line.

"For a warrior there is nothing other than thinking of his master." - Hagakure.

Brandt