以德服人 Part 2

The other day, someone was saying that Japanese warriors (武士) are formidable because they are always ready to die. And Japanese martial arts are simple and effective, not flashy. When a Japanese warrior draws his sword, he draws it to kill.

Someone rebutted that it is not that Chinese warriors draw their sword without aiming to kill. When a Chinese warrior draws his sword, he draws it to kill too. It is just that he does not draw his sword easily.

I think it is not about race. Whether Japanese or Chinese, the wisdom behind this is the same.
仁者，不以力制人，以德服人。
A person must have compassion for his fellow men, and when he does, it is no longer about how well he fights, because he aims not to use his martial skills, instead relying on his heart to reach out to the people around him. He gains respect not by the number of people he defeats, but by the number of lives he touches with his sincerity.

The old martial artist sitting in the background may not be able to move as fast as when he was young. But he doesn't need to. Because he no longer relies on his hands and legs to defeat his opponents. The strength of his character is his true weapon.