Do not do anything that is useless.
(Miyamoto Musashi)
Do – Act. Run. Comply; Finalize; complete. to put forth; exercise. be the cause of
Any – Any; nothing at all; any. No part, part or trace.
Spent – Service or advantage in or for being employed. Aid; profit; well resulting.
An introduction
This meditation is the latest meditation on a concept discussed in a book known as The Book of Five Rings, by the Japanese samurai master Miyamoto Musashi.
A Book Of Five Rings, is considered a classic of military strategy, similar to Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Since the art of war is considered a classic that people still analyze and discuss two thousand years later, I thought we should take a look at some of the same principles, but from a Japanese perspective.
Although A Book Of Five Rings is a military text, its lessons can be applied just as easily to non-military contexts. That is why this book is still useful today, more than 350 years after it was written.
This meditation is simple and has vast implications.
Don’t do anything unless there is some gain or good resulting from your actions.
If nothing good comes of it, then don’t do it.
This implies two things for me:
- Do not waste your time; Y
- Don’t do anything that isn’t helpful or isn’t good.
I suspect that Miyamoto Musashi would NOT be happy with the state of society today. Too many people spend too much time doing activities that have little or no benefit.
Think about it.
In addition to relaxing, entertaining and diverting our attention, does watching the average TV show give us many benefits?
Apart from entertaining ourselves and our attention, does spending all our time on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube provide us with any benefit?
I’m not so sure. I think the results are mixed. While I think it’s wonderful that it’s easier than ever to communicate with other people around the world, I also think it makes it easier for us to waste time talking about things that don’t deserve much attention.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said: Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds argue about people.
Personally, I think we should spend more time discussing ideas and less time discussing events or people.
I suspect that Miyamoto Musashi would have agreed.
Analysis
As you ponder this thought, ask yourself the following questions:
- How do I use my time and energy?
- Do good and positive things result from my actions?
- Do any of my actions result in a waste of time and energy?
- What can I do to make sure my time and energy are used wisely and to make the universe a better place?