Sensei taught me a phrase tonight that really struck me -- Ganbatte kudasai!
As with most things, I "Googled" it as soon as I got home. A common translation is "Please keep up your good work.", "Good luck!", or "Please do your best." The closest phrase I found near to Sensei's use of it was "Please do the best to reach your goal." Note the emphasis on "your."
Unfortunately, as with many translations, a lot of the cultural context is lost. The Google Oracle tells me Ganbatte kudasai is the polite form of Ganbare! Ganbare is more like a kick in the pants from your father. Ganbatte kudasai can be said to your seniors.
Sensei gave us a meaning that fit the context of the class tonight - "Please exhaust yourself." Often he points out that the place where you advance in karate (or really anything) is the point where you think you can do no more, and you push yourself to do whatever it is just one more time. Just one more pushup. Mou ichido!
I needed to hear this tonight. I "gave up" on Sanchin when I knew I could do more. Yes, my knee hurt, but did it really hurt that much? Perhaps I needed to hear Ganbare! Mou ichido!
Oshiete kurete arigatou gozaimashita!
No comments:
Post a Comment