In ancient Japan, there lived a samurai who was feared by everyone in his province. He never lost a battle and never backed down from a fight. His reputation was his identity, and his sword his power. One day, a young challenger arrived in his village. He was loud, aggressive, hungry for a fight. He stood in the center of the village and screamed the Samurai's name. Insulting him, mocking his family, spitting on his reputation. The crowd gathered, waiting, certain the samurai would draw his sword. But the samurai looked at the young man calmly and said nothing. He then turned around and walked away.
The crowd was stunned. His students ran after him. Master, he insulted you, dishonored your family. Why didn't you fight? Everyone is watching. What will they think?
The samurai stopped walking, turned to face his students, and replied; if someone offers you a gift and you refuse to accept it, tell me who does the gift belong to? His students thought for a moment …” to the person who offered it,” they said. The samurai nodded slowly and said, “ his anger, his insults, his need to destroy, I did not accept them, so they remain entirely his. The crowd thought the samurai had shown weakness, but his students understood. It takes no strength to react. True strength is the ability to pause between what happens to you and what you choose to do next. True strength is knowing that not every battle deserves your sword, not every incident deserves your energy, not every person who tries to pull you into darkness deserves to take your light.
Moral: The ancient warriors knew the hardest fight is never with the enemy in front of you, it is with the reaction rising inside. You win that fight first, and you will never lose.