Friday Stories: The Samurai’s Sword

“Sensei” asked the Young Samurai, “is it the forging or the sharpening that gives the sword its abilities?

The Sensei thought for a moment. “What do you say?”

The Young Samurai furrowed his brow. “I think it is the forging” he responded. “It binds the blade together.”

His Sensei nodded. “But is is not true that without the sharpening of the blade you had nothing more than a kanabo, the blunt war club?”

The Young Samurai thought for a moment longer. “Then it is the sharpening, I suppose.”

“Ah”, said the Sensei, “but without a well forged blade the sharpened blade will break at first contact and is nothing more than a pointed shard.”

The Young Samurai thought even longer, then burst out in frustration “Then which one is it, Master?”

The Sensei smiled serenely. “It is both. Without fire and stone together the blade will not become all that it can be. You seek to do what cannot really be done: break the whole into parts and decide which part is more important.”

Application: We are sum total of all we have been through. To remove a part is to destroy the whole.