Asakura Clan House Code - Law #3 | Part 3 of 17 Article Series
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Post intelligence agents (metsuke) in both near and distant provinces, even if the world may be at peace. In so doing you can spy on the conditions of these domains without interruption.
MODERN INTERPRETATION:
Always be grounded in reality and truth. Stay connected to your people. Stay connected to the outside world. Invest in quality relationships that help you adapt accurately to changes.
Wake Up! BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN!
Don’t be fooled - people with bad intentions exist, and a warrior must always be ready.
In times of peace, people tend to get comfortable, and let down their guards. People can get too relaxed and fall into complacency - where they know they should be preparing, improving, training, but due to a lack of any external pressure, such as a war, they take it easy and avoid doing what is necessary to be ready.
We want peace, but we cannot afford to live in dreamland. Bad things DO happen to good people. Evil, to some degree, is present in the world. A true warrior’s task is to be ready and ABLE to protect that which he loves, and which is essential for the good of his people, and ideally all people (though this is an ideal).
A Samurai could not afford to be Lazy
Luckily, there was a prevailing attitude of the times that “one should strive never to be outmatched in the Way of the Warrior.” That meant a true Samurai should always be aiming to be the best Samurai that ever existed, even though it may be impossible to achieve. The constant daily, disciplined effort to be “the best” was one of the main factors that drove large masses of people, the Samurai, to create incredible achievements as a group.
In Times of Peace, Peacefully Pay Close Attention
The practice of installing “spies” or intelligence agents across the country was a fairly common-sense thing to do. One had to keep fingers on the pulse of the nation, and feel for any discrepancies that might put lives at risk. Based on incoming information, leaders would work on plans, work on relationships, cultivate a powerful image, build strength, build interest-based allies, but first and foremost: build and develop the Clan.
What can we draw from this Asakura Law in our modern lives?
Take care of our health.
Take care of our mindset.
Expect bad things to happen on occasion.
Work on becoming more emotionally mature.
Study a practical martial art, and engage in it regularly as long as we can.
Purposely challenge ourselves by shouldering an uncomfortable temporary hardship.
Improve our mental capabilities - study new arts, gain new skills, adapt to new technologies.
Do NOT be complacent. Don’t think that everything will always be comfortable. Discomfort is where opportunities lie.
Be willing to go bravely into discomfort, and journey to the edge of our understanding.
Be ready to face the monsters in the abyss staring back at us.
Be mentally ready for whatever may come.
How can we apply the concept of having spies?
And as for an everyday person’s adaptation of “spies”, maintain a network of people with different specialities. Have good relations with people who have access to information on a variety of important subjects. These relationships can help you understand what’s happening in the world. They help you to adapt, and mitigate the risk of being left behind and having your livelihood threatened.
NEXT LAW IN THE SERIES: A PREVIEW
The next article, Law #4, is regarding placing function over form.