The Savage and the Sublime
In Plato’s Republic, Socrates carries on in a dialogue with Glaucon and others about how to build the Just society. In order to do so, we must have a society comprised of good citizens. An educated warrior class. Not just men, but women need to take up athletics and the sword. Socrates cautioned that if we only teach our children music, or the arts and poetry, they’ll be too soft. Too weak. Conversely, if we only teach our children to wrestle they’ll become brutes. Therefore, it is necessary to marry these two great qualities of human nature. We must be people who wrestle and play instruments.
This concept was repeated again by the founder of Judo, Jigaro Kano. He called it “Jittya Koei” or “mutual welfare and benefit.” For Kano, in order for Japan to be a great nation, its citizens must also be great. By creating an educated and strong populace, you create a strong Japan. This is not a new idea for Japan. Musashi, arguably the most famous samurai to have ever lived and author of “The Book of Five Rings” understood that to be a master strategist (his term for the compete samurai) one must understand dancing and calligraphy or farming as deeply as he understood the sword. He correctly noted, “from one thing, see ten thousand things.”
Men of chivalry understood this well. The western gentleman is a product of the Renaissance which yielded the greatest pinnacles of human achievement in a single time. Leonardo Da Vinci was a master of sculpture, mechanics, painting, and the written word. Machievelli advised the Medici family in how to balance ruthlessness and cunning with grace and sophistication. This has endured into the modern era. The most impressive among us pursue this goal. This ideal.
Today, there is great emphasis on education, going to college and appreciation for modern wonders. This has much to recommend it, but we also revere the violent and capable. In today’s world we need the linebacker, infantryman and the statesman. We need the beauty queen that can deadlift. The goal of becoming a complete human is a lifelong task. This work is never done, but it is always worth doing. Some thing that will vastly improve your life and those in your orbit:
be well-read, explore foreign topics, challenge your beliefs and research the ones you have;
Be well trained and know how to fight, with and without all relevant without weapons;
be capable of giving a good speech, even on the fly, at weddings, funerals or on demand. Be the person others can count on to say what must be said;
know how to dance, hold a baby, cook a good meal;
carry yourself with dignity and represent your ancestors well;
be honest, not just with oneself but with everyone for there is no better thing in life than to be wrong, to have your mind changed and develop into a more compete person;
practice and support the arts, music, literature and theatre,
be a good person, which isn’t always the same thing as a nice person; and
have the courage to think for yourself and stay humble.
There are a million more suggestions from many smarter people in the world, but these are things that have been true throughout history. They all have the same thing in common: nature your spirit to be capable of genuine sublimation and absolute savagery. Like Apollo and Dyonesis pulling the chariot of your soul.