One of my favorite stories

And a little insight into how I think.

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Many years ago there was an old samurai who had decided to retire to become a priest.

But before he could do so he had to determine which of his three sons received the family sword.

So, after thinking a bit, he decided to test them. He went to a room in their home and placed a small wooden block on top of the shoji, the sliding door to the room. When the door was opened the block would fall and hit the person in it.

Then he called his youngest son to him.

The youngest son was a swordsman. He spent every available minute practicing with it. He was sharp, fast and deadly.

He came to the door and opened it. The block fell and struck him. He had his sword out and sliced the block in two before it hit the ground.

The old man stood up in a rage. "Get out of this house!" he shouted. "You are disowned! You do not understand what it means to be samurai and you never will."

Replacing the block the old man called his middle son to him.

This son spent a great deal of time studying the way of the sword. But there were other things he studied as well. They weren't his main point of interest though.

This son came to the door and opened it. The block fell and struck him. He caught it before it hit the ground.

Bowing to his son the old man said, "I am sorry, but you cannot receive the family sword. You do not yet understand what it means to be samurai. But I can see that one day you will."

Resetting his trap the old man had his oldest son come to meet him.

This son studied the sword, but it was just one of many things he studied. He wasn't a poor swordsman. It was just one of his many interests.

He came to the door, started to slide it open. He stopped then to reach up and pull down the wooden block. Entering the room he closed the door and replaced the block. Bowing to his father he asked, "Father? You wished to speak to me?"

"Yes," replied his father. "I have made my decision. You are the one who will receive the family sword as you are the one who most understands what it means to be samurai."

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Here's my interpretation of this story.

The sword represents power and the old man had to determine which of his sons received that power, and the responsibility that goes along with it.

The youngest son failed because he didn't have the awareness or the restraint required to use the power responsibly. He did not see the trap. And he reacted without restraint. There was no need to use his sword but he did.

For this lack of awareness and restraint his father cut him off from all power.

The middle son failed because he didn't have the awareness to receive the power. He did react with restraint though.

So his father didn't give him power, but also didn't cut off his access to it. There was a strong possibility the middle son would learn enough awareness to be worthy of power in the future.

The oldest son succeeded because he was the only one aware enough to avoid the trap. By being aware he removed the need to use his power at all. He acted rather than reacted.

This is why the old man gave him the family sword, the power. He was the one least likely to use that power. The eldest son was wise enough, aware enough, that he didn't need power.

There you go. One of my favorite stories, and how I think about it. It forms a major part of my beliefs and actions.

Have a great day, every one.