Bushido – The Way of the Warrior or The Seven Virtues of the Samurai. Bushido is a code of conduct, a way of life (and death) based on seven virtues. Below is an explanation of this Samurai Code from the website, Oriental Outlook:
The Way of the Samurai
“During the 9th and 12th centuries in Japan the warrior class were known as samurai, also called bushi (knights/warriors – bushi hence bushido).
They emerged from the provinces of Japan to become the ruling class until their decline and later total abolition in 1876 during the Meiji Era.
These warriors were men who lived by Bushido; it was their way of life. The samurai’s loyalty to the emperor and his overlord or daimyo were unsurpassed. They were trustworthy and honest. They lived frugal lives with no interest in riches and material things, but rather in honor and pride. They were men of true valor. Samurai had no fear of death. They would enter any battle no matter the odds. To die in battle would only bring honor to one’s family and one’s lord.”
Bushido, although an ancient code of conduct is still alive and well in Japan. The Warrior’s Code is deeply imbued in this centuries-old culture. And nowhere is it more evident than at the Fukushima nuclear site.
The Seven Virtues are:
RECTITUDE : Doing the right thing, making the right decision, not because it’s easy but because it is morally and ethically correct.
COURAGE: The ability to do things which one finds frightening. “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it”…Mark Twain.
BENEVOLENCE: Charity, mercy. The Japanese symbol for this word can also be translated to mean selflessness and love for humanity.
RESPECT: We treat others with dignity and respect the rules of our family, school and nation.
HONESTY: Truth, faith, and fidelity.
HONOR: Having or earning the respect of others. It is the status of being worthy of honor, not to be confused with the act of doing honorable things.
LOYALTY: Faithful, true, devoted and obedient. Many centuries ago, the Samurai were loyal to the emperor and his overlord. Post-war Japan brought a new loyalty; loyalty to the corporation replaced the emperor or overlord and as one can see today, this virtue is held in high regard.
Today I read a deeply disturbing article online on the MSNBC website. It was about TEPCO offering large sums of money to workers who will work in the plant while containment is underway and are looking for “jumpers”. Definition of a “jumper” is a worker who will bring one end of a pump into the reactor, dump it in the water and run out. And there was also a story about the fatalistic attitude prevalent with the 50-man shifts of workers trying to control the impending and continuing crisis at the Fukushima nuclear site. Please copy and paste the url below to access this story.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42371032/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/from/toolbar
Report: Fukushima nuke workers expect to die
And now you know why these 300 workers are known as the Atomic Samurai.
A Samurai Warrior
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