Simple Lessons:

Short, concise lessons and concepts helpful to students and teachers

Gi – The Bushido Concept of Righteousness, Justice or Morality

By Terry Bryan

"It is not so much what you believe in that matters, it's more the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action." *Lin Yutang

The Samurai listed seven virtues of bushido, or "the way of the warrior" (the ethical code of the Japanese Samurai)..

The first trait is "gi" or righteousness, justice or morality. Jhoon Rhee says it as "Might For Right" and whether you are talking about combat, running a successful business or having a quality life because of quality relationships, doing "the right thing" is very important. Here are a few examples of doing the right thing.

Practice Intellectual Honesty – Realism is a form of intellectual honesty. The realist insists upon seeing the world as it really is, not as he wishes it were. This objectivity, this refusal to engage in self-delusion, is a mark of the true leader. In combat underestimating an opponent is deadly and in business it can bankrupt your company if you make decisions based on faulty information. Personal relationships can be equally destructive if honesty is not one of the key principles.

Don't Trust To Luck – Those who exhibit the quality of honesty in themselves – do not trust to luck, hope for miracles, pray for exceptions to basic business principles, expect rewards without working or hope that problems will go away by themselves. These all are examples of self-delusion, of living in a fantasyland. True warriors know that success is totally dependent on themselves and their actions.

See Things As They Are – The true warrior insists on seeing things exactly as they are and encourages others to look at life the same way. As a motivational leader, you get the facts, whatever they are. You deal with people honestly and tell them exactly what you perceive to be the truth. This doesn't mean that you will always be right, but you will always be expressing the truth in the best way you know how. As a senior instructor in the martial arts, or a business person, the most powerful strategy you can ever adopt is to surround yourself with people who you trust will tell you the truth. I think that is the real power of a mastermind.

Refuse to Make Excuses – The opposite of accepting responsibility is making excuses, blaming others and becoming upset, angry and resentful toward people for what they have done to you or not done for you. Honesty starts at home and being truthful about who is in charge is a good place to begin.

Terry L. Bryan
Terry Bryan is a disabled Viet Nam veteran, as he was wounded during his last tour in a rocket attack. He currently holds an 8th degree black belt in Kojosho Kempo and a 7th Dan grading through the World Karate Federation. Over the years he has earned black belt rankings in other styles as well, including Shaolin Chuan Fa, Shotokan and Shorin Ryu. He is currently the Executive Director for the American Shorin Kempo Karate Association, a non-profit organization teaching martial arts and self defense in the Colorado Springs area. Previously he served as the General Secretary for the USA-NKF (National Karate Federation), the official governing body for the sport of karate with the US Olympic Committee.