Kendo, The Crucible of Adversity

In a contest between two opponents there is a winner and a loser there is an implied acknowledgement that something is given and that something is taken away. In kendo the win implies life for the winner and that the loser dies, a terrible burden for the ego of the loser, even for the winner since when they lose they also suffer. I have lost many times. Adversity was common place in ancient Japan and a highly valued core trait of many samurai was the ability to survive adversity. The training in today’s kendo stresses nearly the same physical and mental adversity as in ancient times. The journey of life is filled with suffering, what better way to discover how to face and survive adversity than following the path of the way of the sword.