Can Bushido still be applied today?

[Arctos]

I'm a huge fan of the Samurai cukture,so naturally I try and live by their code. I know it wasn't implemented until the early 16th century,nut I think some,if not all it's principles could be used today...Especially the principles of honor and honesty.. For those of you who don't have the code memorized, here are the 7 pribciples in order:

1. GI (Justice, Right Decision): Making correct decisions from the heart rather than from the mind. To die when one must without thought or regret.

2. YUU (Bravery): Rushing onto the point of a sword without hesitation if it would accomplish the greatest good.

3. JIN (Compassion, Benevolence): Universal love toward mankind. The ability to exhibit compassion

4. REI (Right Action): Etiquette and the preservation of courtesy. The Samurai believed that it was better to lose his life than to be impolite.

5. MAKOTO (Truth, Sincerity): Truthfulness

6. MEIYO (Honor): Glory without ego.

7. CHUUGI (Devotion): Loyalty to one's Lord
Source:http://ejmas.com/tin/tinart_alexanian_040 2.htm

Which of thwse in your opinion do we need most today?

[LycanSpectre]

Spelling.

Other than that, right action.

[Hagakure]

I have a 12-15 page report on how Bushido affects modern day Japan due at the end of this month. Although I probably won't write it, it's still an interesting subject.

[Dalai Panda]

Weren't the samurai into flower arranging? :eek:

But seriously, no, I think a lot of those directives are out dated, especially the ones that pertain to battle and loyalty. Bushido was a system for the warrior, not the layman. Perhaps if you were a soldior it would work out great.

Edit: Also, the love towards all mankind seems a little hypocritical for a "warrior" code. This, actually, was one of the biggest ordeals that the samurai, as Buddhists, tackled with. It is said that the punishment for a samurai after his death, because of his life of bloodshed, was to be reborn....as a samurai.

[Vendetta]

I think a lot of those directives are out dated, especially the ones that pertain to battle and loyalty. Bushido was a system for the warrior, not the layman. Perhaps if you were a soldior it would work out great.
Yet Musashi's Go Rin No Sho (or Book of Five Rings) is still widely consulted, especially in the business world, where a lot of the axioms he stated still hold true. Battle can occur even without traditional armies.

[Lost_Soul]

I think these standards can be transferred to modern life. You just have to think of a different context than...

Rushing onto the point of a sword without hesitation if it would accomplish the greatest good.

Like, change that to...

"Making personal sacrifice to accomplish the greater good."

One could modify the others too.

Instead of loyalty to a lord, one would have loyalty to whatever deity they hold in their heart. It could be the Jewish/Christian God, the Muslim Allah, the Hindu Brahman, or oneself for that matter.

One can have compassion for the world, and even their enemies. It's a hard to understand concept, but if one is respectful to others, they exhibit this quality. The same belief is in the Ancient Greeks’ morals. When the hero Achilles killed Hector, he was not respectful to the body, and thus infringed upon this rule. He upset even the gods by his actions.

So, yeah, I believe one could follow the Samurai Code in the present day.

[LunasChild]

[QUOTE=Dalai_Panda]Weren't the samurai into flower arranging? :eek:

But seriously, no, I think a lot of those directives are out dated, especially the ones that pertain to battle and loyalty. Bushido was a system for the warrior, not the layman. Perhaps if you were a soldior it would work out great.


I have to agree with Vendetta about the Book of Five Rings. If you think about it, we are always constantly in a battle. The life we live, the choices that we make... and sometimes it a inner battle, but a battle never the less.

Any yes, they were into flower arranging, poetry, and painting. Since people always believed them as just warriors, you needed to find the inner peace, thats why after all the fighting classes I took, I took up poetry.

[Aniutuk]

It would be good if all the aspects of it were adapted. The only problem with the samuari was that they would kill themselves if they were defeated, thats no way to be. Defeat only makes you stronger in the end and if you were inpolite, forgiveness would be better than suicide.