“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him. More than anything, you must be thinking of carrying your movement through to cutting him.”
Miyamoto Musashi wrote, in The Book of Five Rings:
Musashi spoke of swordsmanship here, but this applies to any endeavor that aspires to excel. Like an electric train’s regenerative brakes charge its batteries, and the exhaust gas of a firearm chambers the next round and cocks the hammer, I expect even my down-time and indulgences to provide future prosperity.
Time is what life is made of, why squander it on something so temporary as a week’s bliss. Are you so content that you will delay improving your future for a week?
I think we could write a book about our fundamental disagreement, but I’ll just ask one question…
Let’s imagine a machine that improves any of your skills at twice your normal rate of improvement. All you have to do is think of what you want to improve, and then connect your brain to the machine. After one hour connected to the machine, it is as if you practiced that skill for two hours.
Unfortunately, the machine transmits the greatest amount of pain imaginable while it is in use—every inch of your body is a throbbing firecracker of agony.
That depends—does it have any other side effects, such as conditioning me against using the skill involved? Deliberate practice is hard, but this machine sounds quite convenient, and some skills that can be extremely useful can be not only inconvenient but also daunting or even dangerous to practice without such a machine.
Agreed, you would not be more capable after the vacation. Your prospects would not improve.
But surely, you must indulge yourself occasionally and Mac’s Wirehead Homestead seems like the best place for that.
Musashi spoke of swordsmanship here, but this applies to any endeavor that aspires to excel. Like an electric train’s regenerative brakes charge its batteries, and the exhaust gas of a firearm chambers the next round and cocks the hammer, I expect even my down-time and indulgences to provide future prosperity.
Time is what life is made of, why squander it on something so temporary as a week’s bliss. Are you so content that you will delay improving your future for a week?
I think we could write a book about our fundamental disagreement, but I’ll just ask one question…
Let’s imagine a machine that improves any of your skills at twice your normal rate of improvement. All you have to do is think of what you want to improve, and then connect your brain to the machine. After one hour connected to the machine, it is as if you practiced that skill for two hours.
Unfortunately, the machine transmits the greatest amount of pain imaginable while it is in use—every inch of your body is a throbbing firecracker of agony.
Would you ever use this machine?
Yes, as much I could tolerate it.
But yes, we have a fundamental difference of perspectives here.
That depends—does it have any other side effects, such as conditioning me against using the skill involved? Deliberate practice is hard, but this machine sounds quite convenient, and some skills that can be extremely useful can be not only inconvenient but also daunting or even dangerous to practice without such a machine.