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Reputation often spills less blood.
Samurai Maxim
This samurai maxim appears to be in direct opposition to the teaching that you should conceal your weapons and your abilities, but it contains truth nonetheless. There is a time and a place for everything. There are times when concealing your skills is the wise thing to do, and yet at other times it may be wise to put your reputation to use, if you have a reputation as the samurai did.
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The samurai had a reputation of being great warriors who could be fierce and deadly if the situation called for it. They were known as expert swordsmen. This reputation probably saved the lives of many men during the time of the samurai. Men who may have challenged an ordinary man over some trivial offense wouldn’t consider challenging a samurai over the same transgression. Therefore, the samurai’s reputation saved these men’s lives, considering if they had challenged the samurai, they would have probably been killed.
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The same notion can be true today, but you have to be very careful when it comes to counting on your reputation. Your reputation can help you resolve escalating conflicts, but having a reputation can also backfire on you. Your enemy may be so intimidated by your reputation that he is tempted to go to extremes in order to defeat you. We live in a different world than the samurai. Today someone may take a shot at you from across the street instead of confronting you face to face. In whatever situation you may find yourself, judgment is vital. Think before you speak or act.
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Bohdi Sanders, PhD ~ excerpt from the book,
WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood
WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood
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WARRIOR: The Way of Warriorhood is available, in both paperback and on Kindle, from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/
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