Act Like a Samurai
Full disclosure: I love samurai films. And one of my top three is Yojimbo (The Bodyguard), directed in 1961 by the great Akira Kurosawa. A crafty ronin (masterless samurai), played by Toshiro Mifune, comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town. We get a sense that all is not right in this town when a dog runs down the wind-swept street, carrying a human hand in its mouth. If this sounds like what inspired Clint Eastwood to make a Fistful of Dollars, you’d be absolutely right.
My favorite scene in Yojimbo is the opening minute. It’s a bitterly cold, windy day. The ronin comes to a crossroads. Not sure which road to take, he turns around and sees a stick on the ground. Mifune picks it up, throws it in the air, letting the fallen stick point his way.
The director knew exactly what he wanted from this scene. He keeps the camera stationary, as we watch Mifune walk away from us. Our eyes follow him. It’s his story now.
But, to my eye, something else happens that’s very important. There are no second thoughts. Mifune strides away with complete confidence. He trusts himself. He doesn’t look back.
Our changing world has thrown that stick high in the air, whether we like it or not. Many of us have become a ronin overnight, losing our most cherished and dependable points of identity.
We can quit. We can be confused. We can resent the direction the stick points.
Or, we can act like a samurai. We can train our body, mind and spirit to be tough and resilient. We can harness our skills and talents to a creative goal. And, we can serve a higher purpose.
I have watched Yojimbo many, many times. I know that Mifune, the ronin, has a tough road ahead. But he acts like a samurai, gives us a great story and looks really good doing it.
We can do the same. Right now. We can begin to train to take that first step in a Samurai Pivot.
I hope you’ll join us at the Pivot Dojo, as we begin to train for the next step in our journey. Each of us has a personal path in life. But we can share our stories and support.
We can act like a samurai and not look back.