Do you have a favorite iconic movie character?
I suppose we all remember different roles for different reasons. One of my favorites is Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid.
In one memorable scene, Miyagi asks his student, Daniel, if he’s ready to begin his karate training. Daniel replies, “Yeah, I guess so.”
Miyagi sighs. “Daniel-san, must talk.”
Then Mr. Miyagi speaks in his Japanese/American dialect:
“Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later…” [Miyagi makes a squish gesture] Get squish just like grape.”
“Here, karate, same thing. Either you karate do yes or karate do no. You karate do guess so… [Squish gesture] Just like grape. Understand?”
# # #
Mr. Miyagi’s talking about commitment. He wants Daniel to understand that karate can’t be a sort-of thing.
I believe in moderation for most things. Diets, politics, exercise–we’d all do better with fewer extremes and a lot more middle-of-the-road.
Everything isn’t the life-and-death struggle it’s too often made out to be. You can play basketball for fun. You don’t have to know all the strategies or even the rules. It’s not a big deal.
Some arenas, however, require all-out or all-in. If you plan to solo skydive, you’d better be all-in. You’d better pay attention to every detail. Otherwise… [Squish like grape].
Sometimes we have to commit, say Yes or No, In or Out. Maybe isn’t an option forever.
Yes and No each have their own fears and consequences. But in some arenas you have to choose because if you keep walking down the middle of the road…
[Squish like grape].
What’s a choice you need to make, something on which you’ve been walking down the middle?
Please leave a comment here.
