Shinzou wo Sasageyo - Live for the Moment, Live on the Edge

Shinzou wo Sasageyo 

Offer your hearts.

There are many different lifestyles in this world. There are people who live it safe, follow the direction of the society, become successful, and enjoy their lives. There are other people who live on the edge, compete, and achieve fame through winning. The majority takes a path in between, but end up somewhere less than they wanted. 

Art by An Amundsen.

Risk. 

Specialization is a risk. When we only focus on one thing and try to become the best, we are taking a big risk. Out of all the people in the world, there is only one best. Especially in games, Go, sports.... The matter of losing a world class competition may very well be the mentality on competition date. 

Think about it. Years of training. Years of practice. And only hours to decide who is the best. Only hours to reach for the dreams. The best will be remembered. And the rest will not. 

Now imagine defeat. Imagine coming very close to winning, and then throwing it away. Imagine losing years of sweat and tears in a few minutes. That must be devastating. the weight of the heart, the souls, and expectations. 

Picture from EDG.

Spirit. 

Yet something compels us to take the risks. Something compels us to go for it, even if the statistical chances of success is very low. It spurs us to dedicate ourselves to an ultimate goal. Perhaps it may be as simple as finding an excuse for having a purpose in life. I remember myself making the excuse that "I tried my best in this project, so my other flaws can be dismissed." 

But perhaps even more than the excuse, risk is something that makes us thrilled. Risk is something that puts adrenaline in our blood, the primordial fight and flight response in our DNA. How good it feels to fight and win! 

The Zero State. 

I refer to this state as the starting state. Anything above it is a feeling of satisfaction, victory, and purpose. Anything below it is a lack of motivation and a feeling of defeat. I think I sway back and forth around the Zero State spending more time below the zero line. I think it would be interesting to keep track of your state to see what you feel like. 

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