For generations, men have been known for dominance and control.
However, not everything can be controlled.
Flexibility is a key aspect in an even-tempered man.
A week before he died, Musashi wrote the Dokkōdō, or The Way of Walking Alone.
It consisted of 21 rules and provided a roadmap to live life by.
The rules are strict and harsh, but honest and powerful.
For generations, men have been known for dominance and control.
However, not everything can be controlled.
Flexibility is a key aspect in an even-tempered man.
The search for pleasure is a dangerous adventure.
Along the way, many men have gotten lost in pleasure.
Alcohol
Drugs
Sex
Go into pleasure with you mind aware
Because on the other side of pleasure is pain.
Go into everything whole-heartedly and non-apologetic.
Mindless actions are typically stupid ones.
Mindless experiences are typically forgettable ones.
Ego blinds and ego destroys.
Go into any experience humble and respectful of your fellow man.
I've discussed attachment many times.
The two strongest fears that men typically face is fear of death and fear of missing out. Both are born from attachment.
If you do not control yourself, you will be controlled.
Regret and guilt are both useless emotions.
The past cannot be changed and the future cannot be determined.
Focus on the present.
You can't move forward while looking behind.
Envy is a bottomless pit of suffering.
There will never be enough and you will never feel like you are enough.
Don't seek to be the best.
Seek to be the best version of yourself.
We circle back to attachment.
Attachment leads to fear and fear results in pain.
Live fully in the moment because you can't control the future.
Resentment is typically born from jealousy and greed.
Seek to be the best version of yourself and complain about nothing.
Don't waste energy complain, spend energy doing.
Lust is a dangerous emotion and many men have sacrificed everything and been ruined by it.
Love is a pure emotion, but a man can be blinded by it.
Maintain awareness.
Remaining open minded relates to the flexibility we talked about in the first rule.
Bias can be a waste of opportunity in business, love, and learning.
Blind patriotism is antiquated.
Find a region you like with weather that you enjoy and people you get along with.
Plus, all you need is an internet connection to make money these days.
Food should be consumed for nutrition.
Taste is secondary.
Man cannot live on ice cream alone.
You will never realize how much useless stuff you own and never use until you are packing to move.
Actively declutter.
This goes hand-in-hand with rule 12.
Learn to think for yourself.
Find your own traditions and rituals.
The majority of people are NPCs so you should take pride in being different.
Every man should learn to fight and defend himself and those around him.
However, do not be consumed by it.
And remember, no plan survives the first point of contact.
Attachment again, noticing a pattern?
The greatest irony is that those most afraid of death are also afraid to live.
This is the one that may be more contextual for the time and Musashi's occupation as a wandering samurai.
However, it is still a good point to mention the danger of greed.
There is such thing as too much.
Regardless of your faith (or lack thereof), respect your fellow man and depend on nothing but yourself.
Men lie and gods don't answer every prayer.
While it is important to never be apologetic, a man must follow his own ethics and values.
To betray one's own ethics is to compromise one's soul.
