The Master Swordsman - The Intuitive and Rational Mind

The Servant and the Divine

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

Albert Einstein

The society we live in today determines an individual’s contribution and worth based on their rational mind. We measure our worth with the things we have. We interview candidates solely on the information they possess. We live in a world where the extrospective is worth more than the introspective.

The Way of the Swordsmen

Many Ways can capture the relationship between the intuitive and rational mind. I will use the Way of the swordmen (and swordswomen) in this example.

The Master swordsman is the intuitive mind; The sword is the rational mind. The Master swordsman is the only person capable of wielding the perfect sword to its full capabilities. A Master swordsman will wield the most incredible sword in an ideal world.

A novice swordsman might benefit from wielding the perfect sword, but they will not use it to full effect. But if we give a Master swordsman a wooden stick, they will still be lethal (Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the greatest samurai ever to live, would face his enemies with wooden swords in duals to the death). A master swordsman with a wooden stick will always cut down a novice swordsman who wields the perfect sword.

The Pitfalls of Obsessing Over the Perfect Sword

We spend too much time developing the perfect sword, but not enough time being better swordsmen. Unfortunately, our society values the rational mind, the extrospective, the things we can easily display and show off. The world judges us based on our rational mind, it judges us based on swords, so we focus solely on building the perfect sword. We are too focused on the extrospective, on the rational mind, on the sword, when we should be focused on the introspective, on the intuitive mind, on being a better swordsman.

Examples of the Perfect Sword

The perfect sword looks different to every one of us. The perfect sword can be:

• Writing clean code that passes all your tests and coding standards.

• Playing every note of the Waltz perfectly on the piano.

• Shooting 100/100 three-pointers from the same spot.

While all of these swords are impressive in their own right, they do not make the wielder a Master swordsman. A Master swordsman would:

• Understand the use cases of the application they are developing. They would ensure that the application would tackle the use case and seamlessly integrate it into the technical architecture.

• The musician would feel the music deeply. Instead of mimicking it perfectly, they would hope to capture its essence understand the emotions behind every note. When they play the Waltz, they would want to make the listeners feel the music in their soul.

• Focus on getting to their shots in-game. They would want to create plays to get space and take the three-point shot. The shooter would be calm and collected under pressure, making every three-point shot with ease.

The difference between the Master swordsman and the novice swordsman is their ability to capture the essence of their craft. Master swordsmen can internalize what they do; they can then create something from deep within them and their understanding of their craft. A novice swordsman focuses solely on their output. The Master will consistently outperform the novice in moments when it matters.

The Perfect Unison

In reality, we should aim to be the Master swordsman who wields the perfect sword. The sword will become a part of us. We will connect the rational mind and the intuitive mind perfectly. With the perfect sword at our disposal, as our faithful servant, there is nothing that can stop our divine gift.

Understand how to play every musical note perfectly (build the perfect sword), and work towards feeling the music deep within your spirit (the Master swordsman). The goal is to be a Master swordsman, not simply to wield the perfect sword.