The sword rules III-A past which was the future
The need for a boat or ship that moves itself with sails is long gone… Nevertheless all kinds of sailing boats simply refuse to die… In fact, in many cases, the yachts are used for sports or recreation and they are developed much further than their wooden ancestors, while maintaining their original sail “spirit”. New materials, new designs and new ideas, for a concept that is thousands of years old and, let us not forget, was and remains, the ecological way of transport at sea. To be able to handle a yacht at the open seas will take a true sails-man, it will take a Captain, not only in papers, but with the full sense of the word… He will have to exploit the direction of the winds, understand the power of the currents and lay his course on the map, in an indirect manner, that requires skill and foresight… since the distance between two points is never a… straight for a sail-boat. Instead, it is turns, curves and zigzags.
I have heard many times people talk about the advantages and the luxuries of an engine boat, which runs fast, in a straight line, and is spacey on the deck for a sexy tan, without having all these ropes around you, ready to choke you and the threat of a loose mast coming at you to finish you off… And I understand all this. But I understand it until the high speed winds settle in and it looks nasty-gray at the horizon… And it is exactly in those conditions that the… half sunken body-part of the yacht will dive even deeper, lean to one side and travel at incredible speeds with grace. Then, it will demand from you to expose yourself and reach your limitation... It will try to throw you off its back, just like a wild horse, and into the water, while you are hanging from a rope all wet from tip to toe, and exactly there, at this point, is where the real Captain will be at home.
It is no exaggeration to say that when the weather turns wild and all tend to back-off an experienced yacht Captain sees an opportunity…
But, seriously, who would travel from one place to another by sails nowadays? It would be by all means ridiculous... It takes no high intellect to understand, that a sailboat of any kind is outdated and a way of the past...
Today, what it can offer, can be measured by the fingers of one hand…
It offers sport… since it takes muscle and action in order to run this thing.
It offers economy… a yacht is not cheap, but it practically runs on thin air!
It offers an interesting activity… because alone the maintenance of a yacht can be something to be positively absorbed in.
It offers a way to discovery and adventure.
And it also is nice to have at the dock a semi-sunken apartment for a romantic hour...
But above all a sailboat can offer something which no engine powered boat can give you… It is the only tool that can train you into a real sailor and a true Captain. Period…
If you want to be a “Captain” practice with a sword
The innuendo of the comparison between the purpose of a sailboat in our times and the purpose of practicing the sword in a similar fashion is so obvious, that for a moment I find myself out of lines to write...
It is important to understand that this is not about a comparison of the “the old” being better than “the new” Or the traditional being better than a breakthrough innovation...
It has to do with factors which cannot go into a statistical chart...
It has to do with the Elegance of an Art which does not belong to any particular time, past or present, because it is timeless...
One does not write with a fountain pen instead of a keyboard and then compares what is faster. This is obvious... but the result of practicing calligraphy is a different training and it has a different outcome altogether.
Naturally the thought will come up... “What is the point of practicing with a Katana?” And believe me it would worry me if this thinking would be absent. Because it is from that skepticism where a person can re-value the Art, not for what it is, but for discovering it for himself and understand a necessity which at first can seem un-necessary...
Iaido and Iaijutsu are practicing forms which can develop a person to a degree of self-realization (not my words!) Nothing to mention about the gain of the old classic warrior techniques, skills and attitude...
But in order for this to be seen clearly, there must be measurements adopted, which will go well beyond the surface level information, expert’s opinion or well studied academic knowledge... It will take a kind of wisdom which is only gained by the act of practicing... So, with an upside-down approach, one first has to practice and only then reach to safe conclusions.
This reminds me of an old saying:
“The wise is the twin brother of the fool”, and so it probably is...
Please consider this, by imagining a young candidate beginner, at the gates of his decision of taking his first step into the Art of the Sword. He stands there thinking, feeling... if practicing an Art of the past has a purpose for him...
A long pause moment of contemplation, before taking his step of trainning...
“I see you have constructed a new lightsaber…
…your skills are complete”
Darth VaderFebruary 22, 2016