Bushido

One of my biggest hopes in life is that my wife will come to understand that I am in most ways very much like the ancient Samurai Warrior.  During the first two decades of our marriage she realized that I do not like dealing with money, balancing the checkbook, or in general having to keep track of things such as insurance, taxes or bills. This 20 year time period is referred to by me as a "brief adjustment period."  I believe my wife refers to it as "The Monumental Sacrifice." (I have no idea what she means by that.)  Over the years,  I have tried to explain to her that I am not irresponsible; rather, that I like to think of myself as concerned with matters larger than money and the niggling little details of modern life. 

In feudal Japan, the warrior class lived by an ethos, which came to be known as "Bushido."  Bushido is best translated as "Path of the Warrior."  A great samurai could not be bothered with something as mundane and vulgar as money.  The samurai carried a sword--he was a virtual killing machine; there was no need for him to be bogged down with trifling matters such as money.  He had a retinue to pay his bills and take care of his trivial business affairs. His primary concern was the maintenance of his blade and his warrior ways.  I have tried in vain to explain this to my wife that I am a modern day version of the Great Bushido Warrior. To my surprise (and eternal frustration) she doesn't seem to get it.

The other day, my staff was complaining about my refusal to be bothered with some needless detail in my practice.  I tried to explain to my largely female staff that I was living my "Bushido" principles and that my sword would have to do the talking.  (After all I went to law school primarily so people would fear me!)  At this, a smart-alecky female staff member who needs an immediate salary review, suggested: "Are you ignoring these details out of principle, or do you just don't know where to start?"  At the risk of sounding gender insensitive to the vast worldwide readership that is Darrell's Yakimania, I'm pretty sure that most women are incapable of understanding the concept of Bushido and what it means to carry the blade.  Is Bushido limited to the male psyche?  Will the women in my life ever come to understand my burden of living the Bushido code? 

Usually, the answers to these vexing gender related dilemmas are quickly resolved in my mind.  This one, however, truly has me stumped. Now while I don't want to be thought of as a boorish, insensitive chauvinist, I do have a serious and ancient tradition to uphold.  Regardless of whether I achieve understanding by the women in my life on this issue, I fortunately married a lovely woman three years younger than me who is in excellent health, and who will hopefully outlive me.  Otherwise, I have no idea who is going to pay the bills, balance the checkbook and organize my affairs.