Choosing One's Battles

[sirdarksol]

During the time in Japan when samurai dueled each other for glory for their ryu, a samurai who lived to old age (a rarity) divulged the secret of his survival.
He would begin a duel at a distance that just allowed his sword tip to cross his enemy's sword. He would gently tap his opponent's sword. If his opponent's grip was resistant, the samurai would fight, because a resistant grip meant an unskilled opponent. If the opponent's grip was supple, however, he was very skilled, and thus dangerous, and the samurai would flee.
Perhaps not the greatest example of glory or honor, but definitely a wise man.

I have a number of stories like these. I'll post them periodically, and I'll wait until there are some other posts before I give my own opinion on the story.

[disgruntled]

there is a native american tradition of counting coup which is neat. that is when a young man would go into battle, but not armed with weapons. they would have a stick that they would use to get close up to there enemy to tap them with. the objective was to prove that they were excellent warrior because they could have killed the enemy and they got up that close with no weapons.

i like this approach because they get battle experince and glory without harming anyone. so in other word, you also have to know when not to battle

[hurgoll]

Learning when to fight and when to just let go is hard if you cannot control your pride. BUT it will sure help you in your relationships if you learn when to hold your ground and when she is right. (always)