When I reflect on my kendo, I often remind myself that I alone am responsible for my kendo performance. Whether I have performed well or not, it’s my kendo. I see this in my students and other kendoka as well. Their kendo is often a recognizable reflection of who they are as a person.
This also means that on occasion, a person’s challenges are expressed through their kendo. We all have our challenges. Material, emotional, spiritual, whatever the nature of the challenge, they affect us and can affect our kendo. Maybe a person is having a relationship issue. That may cause them to be less focused or more easily distracted in class. A person who is experiencing stress at work might express that through yelling louder, striking harder and being more aggressive. Someone who’s experienced the loss of a family member may play softer or harder as they work through their grief.
The purpose of kendo is ultimately the development of the self. The state of your self influences your kendo, and the state of your kendo has an influence on your self. It is not a one way relationship. A “good” experience in kendo can positively affect one’s mood and over time, these positive experiences contribute to the development of self-confidence, self-respect, discipline and self-esteem. “Bad” experiences in kendo give us the opportunity to reflect on how we can improve and grow through adversity, and ultimately on the transience of experiences, emotions and life. I think one of the opportunities kendo provides us is the chance to be less judgemental toward our selves and others and to look at experiences as learning opportunities.