Ronin

I’ve been a bit distracted of late. A sort of itchy rebellion without a real cause. More gazing out of the window than usual. Complete lack of focus. And if I am honest some real self-doubt.

In fact today is the first day I have sat and written anything more than a shopping list. And to be candid, I don’t have a plan for this piece, I’m just following a random little fancy to dip into feudal Japan and write about my current fascination with the ronin..

I’ve not seen the film with the same name, so let’s just roll with the classic description of a ronin as, ‘a displaced samurai warrior who either lost (or left) his master and was forced to wander’. Circumstantial detail aside, he is presented as a solitary mercenary. A sword for hire. We’re not talking the freedom fighting hero type. The ronin is depicted as a tragic figure - destitute, lost and at the mercy of others.

Even today, if a Japanese student fails their exams or takes the path out of academia they are known as a ronin. Brutal.

This attitude doesn’t just reside in Japanese story telling. . However progressive, liberal and accepting we like to think we are, don’t we look just that little bit more favourably on loyalty, belonging and diligent mastery of craft? The solitary path is all a bit, suspicious.. Phrases like, ‘dropped out’,, ‘jacked in’, ‘different way’, don’t quite reverberate with positive connotations do they? Even if it’s the most noble thing to do, there’s an element of ‘concern’, for the person who takes a different path

Balls to all that. For me the ronin is the ultimate anti-hero. A warrior for all creative souls. Ditch the lost cause, ‘didn’t quite make it’ label. Rewrite the script. Here’s an individual free to follow their own destiny, at their own pace, to their own standard. And maybe, just maybe, on the path to a more fulfilled and happy life.

As for me., writing this felt really nice. Hope you enjoyed the read.