Evaluate The World Like A Samurai
From the Samurai’s perspective, there are three factors that determine the outcome of a battle – you, your opponent, and your environment.
Although most of us rarely engage in physical battles to survive and/or to achieve significance, we do compete with others for resources as we work to achieve our goals. To maximize your chances of success, the key is to not look at these three factors in isolation. Instead, we must construct a philosophical framework that unifies the factors and encourages us to think dynamically.
The way of the Samurai Restated: What we are really talking about, in modern terms, is self-assessment and situational awareness. Self-assessment helps us to realistically judge our current state and performance. Whereas situational awareness, according to the United States Army, “involves being aware of what is happening around you, taking everything into account, and adjusting your behavior…”
Needless to say, Samurai thinking calls for ‘radical honesty’. It’s a is a 3-step process…Try it!
Step 1 (You): Take stock of yourself using what Jean-Jacques Rousseau mentioned as “the only qualities capable of commanding respect”. These 5 qualities include the following:
- Wit – How intelligent are you?
- Beauty – How attractive are you?
- Strength or skill – What skills do you possess? How marketable are those skills?
- Merit or Talents – How industries are you?
- Property Ownership/Riches/Net Worth – How wealthy are you? What’s your net worth?
Step 2 (Your Opponent & Your Environment): In line with statistical analysis/statistical thinking, compare yourself against the distribution. Doing so helps you answer questions like the following:
- Where do you fall on the social economic pyramid in terms of net worth? Are you what Shakespeare refers to as a “fellow of no mark or likelihood”?
- Are you headed up, down, or maintaining your position in society?
- Is your income at, above, or below the median for your field?
- Are you considered more or less attractive than the norm?
Step 3 (Continuously Improve You): Work continuously, in your private time, to improve yourself and your position in the distribution. Depending on your objective, as you do battle, you must make the decision to pursue, pivot, or retreat in order to get where you are going.
Of course, Samurai thinking is NOT the beginning. This method of thinking helps you define how you operate and the tactics you employ. Your personal journey should start with your life vision and mission.
What do you think? Can this philosophy (i.e., how you see life) work for you? Does it work for you?
Reference
Rousseau, J. (2014). The Social Contract & Discourses (G.D. Howard, Trans.). Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46333 (Original work published 1762)
Saltz, J. S., Stanton, J. M.(2017). An Introduction to Data Science. SAGE Publications
Tzu, S. (2007). The Art of War. Filiquarian Publishing.
Yamamoto, T. (1979). Hagakure: the book of the samurai. Tokyo : New York :Kodansha International ; distributed in the United States by Harper & Row (Original work published 1659-1719)
