Don’t ever mistake my silence for ignorance,
my calmness for acceptance, or
my kindness for weakness.
It is a mistake to believe that the silent person is ignorant. The silent person is almost always the one that you should listen to most, when he talks. Instead of spending time babbling about unimportant things, he listens, and learns. He spends time in thought instead of meaningless conversations about nothing. Ignorant is the last adjective that would describe him.
If you are looking for wisdom, look to the quiet man or woman who knows when it is time to speak and when it is time to be silent. The warrior’s silence denotes wisdom and intelligence, not ignorance. But when he is ignorant of the subject at hand, you will not know, as he has the good sense to stay silent and learn, instead of trying to sound knowledgeable on a subject which he knows nothing about.
Likewise, the person who can stay calm in all situations is a person of quiet confidence. Do not read anything into his calm demeanor, except for the fact that he probably has his act together. The warrior, who is confident in himself, has no reason to lose his cool. His maintains his composure in spite of the storm around him.
In addition, his uncommon calmness does not signal acceptance of the situation, but rather his rational thought and self-confidence in his ability to handle whatever comes his way. You may even find that the more dire the situation, the more calm and rational the warrior becomes because he is even more focused than normal. While other men are losing their composure, he is taking everything in and rationally deciding how to respond to the situation. He is calm in the eye of the storm.
Many people also tend to look at the kind-hearted man as weak or wimpy. This is another common misconception. Kindness is not a weakness; it is a strength. A warrior’s benevolence does not signify weakness, rather it signifies the warrior’s good heart. You can have a good heart without being weak, in fact, I would suggest that it takes courage and self-confidence to be kind in every situation.
The weak do not have the self-confidence to be kind in every situation, only in the situations where there is no risk to them. The warrior has the self-confidence to be kind, even when his has to be firm. The warrior’s benevolence is a sign of strength, not weakness. And it is a mistake to see his kindness as a sign of his weakness, a mistake that has cost many predators dearly.
The person who can maintain a calm silence in troubled times, and at the same time, can continue to be kind to everyone in his path, while they lose both their composure and their benevolence, is a person of honor and integrity. He has mastered the art of inner peace. But this in no way should be seen as weakness, ignorance, or acceptance of unacceptable situations. Those who truly understand, will hold such a person in great regard. Bohdi Sanders ~ author of the award-winning bestseller, Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence
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MODERN BUSHIDO: Living a Life of Excellence won two FIRST PLACE BOOK AWARDS in the 2013 – National Indie Excellence Book Awards and the USA Book News Best Books of 2013! These prestigious book awards are a great honor for Modern Bushido!
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