CALM by Miyamoto Musashi

In building a resilient character, being calm is crucial to lead someone to get over adversity and bouncing back from it.

Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai swordsman had explained ‘calm’ in ‘The Book of Water’ from ‘The Book of Five Rings‘ – a classic text on kenjutsu and martial arts (circa 1645).

Let’s see what ancient wisdom from the east had to say about calm;

 

CALM by Miyamoto Musashi

Both in fighting and in everyday life, you should be determined yet calm.

Meet any situation without tenseness yet not recklessly.

Your spirit settled yet unbiased.

Even when your spirit is calm, do not let your body relax.

And when your body is relaxed, do not let your spirit slacken.

Do not let your body be influenced by your spirit.

Nor your spirit influenced by your body.

Be neither insufficiently spirited.

Nor excessively over-spirited.

—

Calm is the virtue to not let the enemy see your spirit.

As preventing the enemy to see you put you in a better position to win.

—

History Channel Documentary of Musashi

The Book of Five Rings Audio Book

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