The Literate Caveman
The Literate Caveman is a podcast that explores the idea that humans have already figured a lot of things out- but at some point we got very inefficient at passing the torch from one generation to the next. If we insist on continually reinventing the wheel we will just end up spinning that same wheel around and around and each following generation will feel really special about themselves because they spin the wheel their own special way. Examining knowledge gained from others failures and successes shortens our own learning curve. To that purpose, this podcast mostly focuses on books that have been published for a while, and most of the time will not delve into current events. There are plans to review some recently published books- but it is high time we nailed down some principles previous generations have learned the hard way and stop making needless mistakes.
The Literate Caveman
The Wind Scroll from The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi
In today’s chapter of The Literate Caveman, we review the Wind Chapter of the book of Five Rings, with a quick look at the Emptiness Chapter. In this chapter Musashi discusses the shortcomings he saw in other styles of his day, listing out nine specific subjects that he felt led to particularly less-desirable frame of mind for martial artists. As we review this, we discuss some thoughts on how it relates to today’s martial artists, with a strong emphasis on the corresponding mindset.