The Way of the Samurai
Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com
So I was sitting in a hotel room in New York waiting to attend a law enforcement expo, and The Last Samurai was on television. One line made me think about the current state of affairs in our country, and I felt compelled to start typing about it. The line was, “The way of the samurai is no longer necessary.” Just moments before the “way of the Samurai” had been described as, “…a life of service, discipline, compassion.” No one can ever doubt or question that the Samurai were warriors. The term compassionate warrior has been one of my favorites for a long time.
These few lines got me to thinking and, as I am wont to do, considering the value today of those men and women who choose to live a life of service; a life of discipline; a life of compassion. In my (perhaps) overly romanticized way, I visualized Americans in uniform - military, law enforcement, fire fighters and more. Are they not compassionate warriors?
In my mind, anyone who enters our armed forces is a warrior and most assuredly lives at least some time in “a life of service”. (S)He will certainly learn more discipline than the large majority of those who never serve. And even the hardest most violence-capable among them have a complete understanding of and capacity for compassion. I don’t believe a person can fight, or be prepared to fight, for a cause without experiencing a passion for that cause. And having experienced a passion themselves, they become capable of understanding the passion of others. They come to understand the needs, feelings and desires of others. What else is this if not compassion?
In my mind, anyone who enters into a career in the law enforcement profession lives a generation in “a life of service”. (S)He will certainly learn more discipline than the large majority of those who never experience such a career. Every law enforcement professional who has worked for more than a year on any street has seen and experienced things that have taught them compassion.
In my mind, anyone who enters into a career in fire fighting (including EMS or Rescue work) lives “a life of service.” To survive in the environments in which they must work, function and succeed, they must learn a level of discipline the large majority of our population will never know. To do the things they do… living every day potentialy risking their lives to save and or benefit others is surely a sign of the greatest compassion.
These values; this drive to serve; this willingness to live a structured life in a disciplined fashion; this necessary ability to perform in a compassionate manner… these qualities and values are more necessary today than they have been in the past 232 years of our country’s history.
As we grow into the future, it is imperative that we ask what type of future we want for our children. Those among us who have lived in service; with discipline and compassion know how important it is that our children understand these values. The founders of our country, I would venture to guess, were all too aware of these values as they fought and suffered to secure this land and build a documented foundation of liberties we can never afford to willingly surrender.
While many in our society would compromise away all of their liberties and freedoms to preserve their mistaken belief that PEACE is of greater value than anything else, others fully understand - and are willing to fight for - the belief that PEACE cannot exist or be enjoyed without full liberty.
In another movie I enjoy(ed) the statement was made that, “Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but also the presence of justice.” A life without liberty is unjust. Our forefathers recognized this and did their level best to insure that liberty would be preserved for all time for the United States of America. The only way those liberties can be lost is if we become unwilling to fight to defend them; if we fail to produce citizens willing to serve; if we glorify a society without discipline; if we lose any value of compassion.
Don’t misunderstand. Compassion is not simply feeling sorry for others or sympathizing with them or empathizing with their plight. It is also a willingness to take the necessary action to help them overcome their condition or challenge. It is not our job to “fix their problem”. It is our job to serve in a displined fashion with compassion for their challenges. We must support them as we can as they grow and improve to overcome their challenges. In doing so we provide an example for the growing generation… and generations to come.
THIS is the example we must set. THESE are the values we must demonstrate, model and pass on. For generations to come, if our way of life is to not just survive but to thrive, we can afford to teach our children no less.
That all said, if you’ve read this and think I’ve lost my mind, please leave a polite comment indicating why you feel that way. If you’ve read this and you agree, leave a comment articulating why.
I wholeheartly agree, well said. We strive to have our ‘job’ called a ‘profession’. To me it is more of a calling, a vocation if you wish. We must take every opportunity to serve with honor and sense of service. To take the approach of this is an eight hour job, you are doing an injustice to your brother/sister officers. You are always on duty to serve and protect, not only the weak and in need but all. This vocation is not a ’selective employment’ where you protect and serve those you wish to. You serve all with pride, this is the way of the warrior. I strongly recommend to all “The Book of Five Rings”, it will give you the path of the warrior and enhance your tactical thinking. Train to serve and train to live, the life you save may well be your own.
Bill: Thank you!!! That is an excellent book reading selection - I have it on the shelf within arm’s reach as I type! You say it better than I did when you refer to this profession as “a calling”. People DO call me goofy but I wish we could recreate law enforcement in a mold more of paladin… Knights Templar, Jedi Knights… just those who dedicate a life to the service and spend that life, as they serve, perfecting how they serve. Of course, celibacy is out of the question so we’d have to be careful how we mixed the “priestly” dedication with the “warrior” training and service.
Bushido is the code the samurai lived by, many times translated as “The way of the warrior”. Those following Bushido lived by seven main tenants, which were as follows:
1.) Courage
2.) Benevolence
3.) Justice
4.) Honor
5.) Respect
6.) Loyalty
7.) Honesty
Those are seven things that all law enforcement officers should strive for, and I believe exemplify what a good officer is. I think the above traits further exemplify Mr. Borelii’s points.
The “Book of Five Rings”, by Miyamoto Musashi is an excellent reading indead. Musashi was arguably the best and most famours samurai/swordsman of Japan. Another great book is called “Code of the Samurai”, by Thomas Cleary. It is a modern translation of “Bushido Shoshinshu of Taira Shigesuke”, which is where the term “Bushido” was derived. This book basically details how the Samurai were expected to live their lives. It is one of the best books I have ever read in terms of developing a combat mindset. Another classic is “Hagakure”, the book of the samurai, written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
I became acquainted with the way of the Samurai at an early age,10 or so, through a movie. It was 1974 and the movie was an old Japanese movie about Mushashi. I being your typical south Georgia boy, was all about fishing and the woods and shooting and knives. From that day forward I was changed. It was originally about the sword and the speed. Over the years I studied Tae Kwon Do, Shotokan, Tai Chi, Kendo and Chinese Kenpo. During college I encountered a new fighting style, what is now called UFC or MMA. I discovered that no matter the style, it was the discipline and the mental preparation that won out. I went on and did 8 years in the Army.I must tell you that my mental discipline was based on the ideals of the Bushido. I had read over a 100 books on Japanese and Chinese history, martial arts, fighting, and through it all the code remained the same. Honor, integrity, duty, service. I finished my time in 1992, with some regrets, but a faulty parachute canopy and low altitude jump ended my jumping career just a week before my 1st son was born. He is now 19. He also has a love of the bushido, The book of five rings, and The Art of War are in his room, passed down from father to son, along with a really awesome 1911 (is there any other pistol?), and a custom wakazashi.
The mental iscipline I had learned and developed saved my life on more than one occasion. I didn’t panic when I looked up and saw sky where there was supposed to be green canopy. I was faced with some confrontations( fights) and was able to diffuse the situation without violonce most of the time. When it did require violence, I struck with all he power and skill I had.
One of my most revered instructors used to say that proper mental attitude was the key. He would not say positive mental attitude for he believed that sometimes having that bit of anger, rage, or desire was necesary. The willingness to do bad things for the cause of good. He was the more like a Samurai than any one I have ever known. He was SFC William L Sanders, he did make SGM I believe before he retired.
The way is not about the sword, it is about the mind behind the hand that holds the sword. You can translate that to todays soldier and law enforcement. The pistol and rifle are the sword of the day, and it requires a temperment of level head, compassion and integrity to be entrusted with the safety of others.
Having served ten years as a police officer and eleven years in the Marine Corps I am presently disabled and live a quite life. Your words brought back many memories of different days that I thought lost long ago. Thank you , I can’t express the warmth and satisfaction that you’ve brought back to my heart. Thanks and God Bless You!
Ironically, after reading the “book of 5 Rings” I was impressed by a film called “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” While the film is (I think) received as a failure, it quoted the Hagakure repeatedly and even though the main character was following Bushido while being a mob hitman - it inspired the writing of “The Way of the Christian Samurai”
There is a line in there where someone tells the samurai, “We don’t live in ancient times.” To which he replies, “Sometimes, we do.”
My observation is that we in the Western world today do not understand what it mens to serve one another; and the Samurai can help us re-examine that ideal in whatever vocation (civil or spiritual) we find ourselves. The principles of the Samurai are embedded in the Japanese, and some believe the way their culture rebounded from WW2 is due to those principles.