Perspective #8: Book of Five Rings
Now and again, I come across something outside the typical eco/sustainability sphere that lends itself perfectly to the cause–rather, the fight. Miyamoto Musahi’s 17th century martial classic, “Book of Five Rings” (translator Thomas Cleary points out the more accurate title is “Book of Five Spheres” for you Japanese language sticklers) contains a number of gems that all who wage battle against the ongoing destruction of our globe will likely find useful.
I’ve found that some within the environmental movement adroitly question whether it is more efficacious to focus efforts on educating/converting individuals rather than organizations/nations/industries. Musahi addresses this rather nicely (though this is not to say that his wisdom is somehow greater due to its antiquity, only that we should look to history again and again for clues):
The way to do battle is the same way whether it is a battle between one individual and another or a battle between one army and another. You should observe reflectively, with overall awareness of the large picture as well as precise attention to small details. The large scale is easy to see; the small scale is hard to see. To be specific, it is impossible to reverse the direction of a large group of people all at once, while the small scale is hard to know because in the case of an individual there is just one will involved and changes can be made quickly. This should be given careful consideration.
Tags: books, Ruminations