【A Question from a Generation That Has Never Known War】
I have never experienced war.
My knowledge of war comes only from books and images. Yet, as is widely known, humanity has repeated wars again and again over the past century.
Fortunately, I have lived my life without directly experiencing such tragedies. In Japan as well, for more than seventy years since the end of World War II, no major war has occurred. However, who can say with certainty that war will never occur again?
In recent years, artificial intelligence—once existing only in the realm of imagination—has become a reality, and in some respects it is beginning to surpass human abilities.
Despite such remarkable advances in civilization, humanity continues to choose war as a means of resolving conflict.
Why is this so?
【The Reality of War and Politics】
The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote in On War:
“War is the continuation of politics by other means.”
Today, many political leaders may not openly quote these words. Yet in reality, states appear to act based on this very premise. In other words, they attempt to prevent war through military deterrence.
However, deterrence functions only for nations that possess sufficient military power. For weaker nations, deterrence alone is rarely enough to guarantee security. As a result, such nations tend to form alliances with stronger powers and rely upon their strength.
In return, they often become incorporated into the economic and political spheres of influence of those stronger states.
I am not a specialist in international politics or geopolitics. Yet intuitively I feel that competition for control of economic spheres may be one of the deeper causes of war.
Everyone desires a free and comfortable life. Yet the very resources and wealth that support that freedom and convenience may also be generating new conflicts.
【Competition as a Human Culture】
Sports and competition are also cultural expressions born from the human desire for freedom.
In competition, participants accept common rules, and within that framework those who can act more freely gain the advantage.
Here, “freedom” refers to the ability to express one’s capabilities—technique, physical strength, and bodily control—at a higher level. In other words, it refers to competitive skill.
In sports that use balls or tools, competitors must skillfully control those implements. In sports without tools, the body itself becomes the instrument.
Gymnastics, athletics, and combat sports are representative examples of this type, and in a sense they can be considered among the most fundamental forms of competition.
In my view, those who are drawn to such body-centered competitions sometimes develop an excessive confidence in their own abilities, which may lead to exclusiveness. By contrast, in sports involving balls or equipment, the presence of such mediating objects can introduce a certain degree of objectivity.
However, this distinction is not the essential issue.
What matters more is an excessive attachment to victory.
In fact, the more strongly people cling to winning, the more easily they tend to fall into self-justification.
【Rethinking the Supremacy of Victory】
For many years, I have believed that the very value of competition must be reconsidered. In particular, a value system that absolutizes victory risks distorting the true meaning of competition.
The value of competition does not lie merely in defeating an opponent.
Rather, it lies in cultivating the ability:
to strive to surpass not only one’s opponent but oneself,
to pursue and expand one’s own potential,
to maintain composure under extreme circumstances,
and to reliably demonstrate one’s techniques and skills.
Even more important is a deep understanding of the reality that today’s victor may become tomorrow’s loser. Those who recognize this understand the necessity of continuous effort.
Through such experiences, competitors no longer look down upon their opponents. Instead, respect and gratitude naturally arise.
【Toward Competition that Honors Technique and Skill】
For such relationships to emerge, the highest value in competition must not be mere victory or defeat, but the demonstration of technique and skill.
To achieve this, competitions must possess structures that cultivate the advanced physical and mental abilities required to select and execute techniques. In addition, the rules must embody principles that evaluate these abilities fairly.
Yet in reality, the world of competition is often dominated by a simplistic result-oriented mentality:
“The winner is strong.”“Victory is everything.”
I believe that competition should fundamentally be a place where technique and skill are evaluated.
Of course, those who possess superior techniques do not always win. Competition always contains uncertainty.
However, such defeat is not an essential defeat. If the experience becomes a source of self-improvement, it is in fact closer to victory.
True defeat is something that lies hidden within the mind that absolutizes its own victory. In other words, it is precisely such an attitude that will eventually become the seed of defeat.
【Combat Sports and Human Developmen】
The true significance of competition lies in the process of continually refining technique and skill—even through defeat.
Human judgment and action are never absolute. Therefore, people must constantly continue to refine their judgment and capacity for action.
This process is what forms the human being. It is what shapes character.
And within that process, respect for one’s opponent naturally arises.
【The Freedom Revealed in Combat Sports】
I believe that the freedom humans gain through economic or military power is not the most essential form of freedom.
Rather, the freedom experienced within combat sports is more fundamental.
In combat sports, one must control powerful emotions such as fear, inferiority, anger, and contempt.
At the same time, competitors must adhere to ethical rules and make decisions within uncertain situations.
These experiences serve as vital training for strengthening human judgment and action.
A Philosophical Transformation of Combat Sports
Combat sports are not merely contests of inflicting damage upon an opponent.
They are competitions and training in mastering the use of one’s own body as a highly refined instrument.
If this understanding is shared among instructors and leaders of combat sports, these activities can become a culture that cultivates the ability to make decisions and control emotions in uncertain situations.
【A Proposal for the Future】
What I am proposing here is a transformation in the philosophy and guiding principles of combat sports.
At present, there may not be many who agree with this idea. Nevertheless, I wish to leave this way of thinking behind for our time.
The development of artificial intelligence may lead to an era in which humans increasingly entrust their decisions to machines.
In such an age, cultures that cultivate human judgment and spirit will become even more necessary.
Human beings fail.
They make mistakes in judgment.
They experience defeat.
Yet if we accept these possibilities and face ourselves with humility, peace can be preserved.
To continue pursuing ideals.
And to persist in ceaseless effort.
These are the forces that lead humanity and society toward a better direction.
