Are you living free, as a dignified, self-actualized human being, or do you yearn to be so?
Are you ready to become so resilient and assured that you can make a positive contribution to a more secure and just society?
Empowering people to live their highest and best in a social order of maximum opportunity is what we are all about, and the means of achieving it requires a strict adherence to principles.
How can we discover these principles, and test their validity?
A good place to learn is found in Igensho: The Book of Dignity, General Principles of Martial Art. That is why a deep examination of this book is the opening series of our podcast.
And, by the way, you can get a free PDF download outline of this extraordinary book when you go to www.everydaysamurai.life/dignity.
So far we've covered the author's journey and how several decades worth of training notes were turned into a manual for his students as a way to explain exactly what martial art is and the wider context of what martial training is all about.
We've also discussed why martial art is about dignity and upholding justice for individuals, and communities, as well as nations. We talked about how while there are quite a few transferable skills from athletics, the purpose, or mission if you will, as well as the consequences, of martial art are so distinctive that it is categorically different from fighting sports.
We've also made connections between Asian philosophy, the Japanese tradition in particular, and the unique march toward liberty found in the history of Western civilization; most notably how the 800 years proceeding from Magna Carta, in Anglo-American law, culminated in the Enlightenment of Natural Rights Theory, Natural Law, and the charter documents for the American Republic, namely the Declaration Of Independence and the US Constitution.
We've also proposed that the most important 13 words in the entire Constitution are found in the first half of the Second Amendment, that is: “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state”.
This means that “the whole body of the people, except for a few public officials” is absolutely required to be “trained to arms” in order to “execute the laws, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions”, and that this is the practical means of ensuring the republican form of government promised by the compact of federal union.
So martial preparedness, among individuals and communities, is also the means, just as much as the desired end, for maintaining a state or status of being free, where people and their property can be free from aggression.
That these “necessary” institutions are absent in modern governmental systems could be the key indicator as to why there is so much dysfunction, corruption, and disrespect for individual liberty in discourse and practice today.
Outsourcing this personal responsibility and social obligation, to either standing bureaucracies or mercenaries, is a certain path toward tyranny, as history shows. Yet, that is the place that we find ourselves today and it appears as though a pernicious and orchestrated effort exists to keep people distracted from these truths.
This is why, now more than ever, a careful study of martial principles is necessary to create a culture that values liberty, respects individuals, and values of private property.
Deep understanding and practice of these principles is essential to maintaining a political and social order that supports authentic peace and prosperity.
Does this sound like a better world to you, one worth striving toward?
If you haven't listened to the previous episodes, I highly encourage you to do so. To get a comprehensive understanding of these principles requires looking at them from many different angles because, even though we are looking at what is fundamental, perennial, and universal, the wisdom is multifaceted and needs to be taken in layers.
Tell a friend, encourage them to listen to the podcast, and discuss these concepts with others you trust and who you think this message will resonate with.
We are building a community, a movement of enlightened warriors, advancing the cause of liberty. Are you ready?