Recently I’ve been researching 武士道 (bushidō) – the ancient Japanese way of the warrior, mostly to try to figure out if it ever was actually a legit thing, or if it’s a modern invention.
Spoiler alert: it’s a bit of both. You can read my conclusions in my WordPress article here.
Bushidō comes with a handy list of 8 virtues that one can follow to lead one’s best and most noble life. You may not have been born a samurai, but you can still live like one by following this code.
The first virtue is ““Rectitude or Justice”, which I have “translated” as “integrity”, for reasons below:
Historically in Japan, opinion on what was “right” or “moral” was fairly uniform.
In modern Western countries, people of many different cultures and backgrounds live side by side, so it is neither possible nor desirable for individuals to always look to their societal norms for moral guidance.
These days what is considered “right” is often something that one must decide for oneself.
However, the ideal of sticking to one’s values even when it is difficult is still considered a virtue: that of having personal integrity.
Calligraphy by Vicky 