Bushido

OK.  So why bushido boy for a title?  Good question.  As a Gaijin, or non-Japanese, I can only 'splain things according to my own imperfect understanding.  Take the word zanshin, for instance.  It means "alertness."  But what kind of alertness?  As it originates in the martial arts, it basically applies to a mental attitude that you express after defeating an opponent.  Say, for example, that you throw your opponent to the ground using some sort of joint manipulation.  You yell at the moment of contact to give you extra force and as your opponent hits the ground you feel an adrenalin rush that makes you alert so that you see if your opponent is, in fact, subdued.  This is the essence of zanshin.  You make sure that you're alert enough to see that your opponent is defeated.  It's the opposite of hubris.

Bushido is another word that defies quick understanding.  It includes the moral qualities that a warrior expresses such as honesty, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust, confidence, and respect for others.  Few really understand warriorship.  It's not the Hollywood version of Kung Fu Chop Suey.  The best example I ever saw out of Hollywood is David Mamet's film, Red Belt.  And Mamet is a follower of martial arts so he knows that of which he writes.    Another recent example of true warriorship were the interviews with Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta who was the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.  The man expressed so much humility and confidence and sincerity and honesty.  He defines bushido.