Recently, I have read Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings. Musashi was an undefeated swordsman in Japan during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. In his book, he wrote “All man are the same except for their belief in their own selves, regardless of what others may think of them.” This got me thinking.
One aspect of being a man, or really a human, is the inner conflict between being hard on ourselves to make ends meet and having the need to be nicer to ourselves. As someone who pushes himself to do hard things physically, there are times when I will be less forgiving in the mental conflict, in better words, on one side of the coin is “don’t be a wuss, I don’t care how tired you are, get it done”. Then you go to the opposite side of the coin, the more forgiving side. The side that nurtures yourself. “Take a rest day for yourself, you deserve it”. And like most things in life, there is a time and place for that; however, too much of either is not healthy. Finding the right balance between the two is a devious task. We can all be hard on ourselves because we know that we’re not reaching our full potential due to our lack of self-belief, or rather, self-awareness. Lack of awareness of our surroundings as well. While at the same time, to the outsiders looking in, we seem to have our ducks in a row and praise us for being who we are, most likely pretending to be. Because we are not the same person with each group or in each situation.
Regardless of what our goals are as individuals, we try to achieve them because we think they will bring happiness when completed. That's what we were raised to think, and I do not think it is the case anymore. Sure, it’ll be a sense of accomplishment masked by “happiness,” but it doesn’t stay that way for long. Then it’s what’s next? And yes, the more we accomplish, the belief in our abilities rises, but what about the quality of life? What we really want as men, and again, as humans, is peace. Peace to be who we are without judgment, peace to do what we please. And most importantly, to find peace in the inevitable storms.
In the age of likes, views, and meaningless opinions online and in the real world, each is being taken way too seriously; We tend not to be ourselves because we lack the belief in our own truths. People try to mold themselves into something they are not supposed to be for fake recognition. Some learn this too late in life, which is why authenticity is more important now than ever. Be who you are, strive to be the person you want to be, not what they want you to be. Surround yourself with people who believe in you in ways your mind or heart cannot.
No matter what happens, no matter who comes or goes, be yourself, speak your truths, and attempt to find happiness in the pursuit of peace.
Peyton
