Personal Philosophy: 沈着冷静

　“沈着冷静”(Chin chaku lei sei) is a saying in Japan that means to observe matters and situations clinically and calmly. In sports and studies, it is quite tempting to indulge yourself emotionally over excellent grade in the test or disappointing results in sports. Even in daily life there are moments when you want to let your emotion take over, for example, to hysterically buy newly designed cloths (like my Mom) and to restlessly pout over the failure to win a competition (like my Dad).  However, if we always allow ourselves to be moved by emotions, we might fail to understand or comprehend some important issues in our daily and academic lives. No matter how small the issues or desperate I become, I believe that clinical observations and calm judgments are the necessary factor to not become overly excited or overly upset, especially in crucial moments, and perceive the important ideas or choices.

            To be honest I had great difficulty understanding this philosophy when I was about 10 years old, which was just about the time when I was allowed to participate in matches and tournaments in Kendo: Japanese sword martial art.  As I walked to my very first match, my mind was going crazy! I could feel my blood pumping throughout my body and adrenaline rushing in my brain; I was completely in the state of over-excitement. I quickly lost my first match without using my full potential and felt great disappointment over my loss. No matter how much I practiced, I could not forget that match. I tried very hard to remain composed in matches but I would continue to become emotional and excited during the matches. As I struggled for about two years, my Dad came up to me after my loss in a tournament. My Dad, one of the eight instructors of our dojo, told me “Don’t look at your opponent but his sword”. On my next match, as usual, I was recklessly striking my opponent and ended up losing a point because of his well-placed counter strike (you lose a match if your opponent has more points than you or your opponent obtains 2 points first). As I placed myself in position, I remembered about my Dad’s advice and decided to only observe my opponent’s sword. As strange as it sounds, I felt a strange sensation as I calmly observed my opponent’s sword. I could listen to his breathing and detect even the slightest movement as I slowly crossed blade with him. The time seemed to slow down as my breathing slowed and at that moment, I was in complete control of my mind and body. My mind was in the state of “無心” (mu-shin): a state of complete concentration where irrelevant details are erased. I kept my emotions in minimum and calmly observed my opponent who was starting to get agitated. Then in split second, I immediately parried his strike and countered with a thrust to his torso. The match ended as a tie but I obtained a distinct idea on the importance of calm observation. After the match, I quickly honed my observation in Kendo through practice and elevated my rank up to 1^st degree black belt. Through the revelation of calm composure and close observation, I could see my world a little differently. By limiting emotional thoughts, I could see how the mechanisms and the systems in the daily life operate. I could feel whether the opponent will try to strike my head, my arm, or my torso by observing the way the sword moves in the hand. Through composed thinking, I was able to observe beyond the cloud of emotions and “see the unseen”.

            Though the clinical perception may seem like a cliché or easy to learn, it is neither omnipotent nor practical for everyone. I won’t be able to perceive abstract arts, to understand the true feeling of people, and to see the answers on test because there no psychic powers involved. Composed observation is to observe how the things work and react without preconception or emotions. You can try to interpret the government’s actions without favoritism of Republican or Democrats in order to realize their intentions. You can see what Barack Obama accomplished in his two terms without the criticisms from Fox News. You can interact with other ethnic groups without worrying about nationalities. You can suppress your sorrow in your Grandparent’s death to truly realize what they have left for you. As in Buddhist saying “無我の境地”: to remove worries and hate to truly understand.