3 Simple Rules

What is the Game of Dō?

Simply put,  the game of dō is any rules-based and goal-oriented activity where one seeks to become a better person and to have a better life.

You can think of this blog both as a rulebook and strategy guide for this game and a resource to help you make your life better.

In the next few posts, I’ll be examining the components of this game, starting with rules.

Rules in Games and in Martial Arts

Rules are very important.

In games, we have rules to facilitate game play, to provide structure to the activity, and to make sure things are as fair and fun as possible.

In martial arts, we use rules to provide structure, to show respect to each other and our style, and, in the case of instructions, to make our techniques as safe and as effective as we can.

Without rules, it’s extremely difficult to get the results we are looking for. Like anything else, the game of dō needs clear rules for us to get the results we want.

The Rules of the Game of Dō

1) As long as you are playing, you are winning.

That’s right, it’s that simple! Dō is simply the practice of thinking about what you are doing and using it to make your life better. You can use this practice to learn more about what you are doing, to learn about yourself, and/or to build up your mind, body, or spirit in some way. If you are doing that, then you are not only playing, you are winning.

2) You can play anytime and anywhere.

In anything and everything you do, you can work towards making your life better. This means can play (and thus be winning) at anytime and anywhere.

3) If you’re not playing, you’re not winning.

If you rush, if you’re heedless, if your thoughts drift too far from the moment, if you do any number of things that might stop you from playing, you are not winning. Luckily, the solution to this problem is relatively simple. If you notice you are no longer playing, pause what you are doing, take a moment to recenter yourself (breathe deep, relax), and then resume what you are doing and, this time, play the game of dō as you do and you’ll immediately start winning again.

So that’s it! Three simple rules to help you work towards the life you want to have!

Conclusion

I hope you found this post useful and that you enjoy reading it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'll be back soon (hopefully by next Sunday or sooner) with how you can use the game of dō to reach more specific goals.

Until next time,

-Daniel  

First things, First

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Game of Dō, a blog about how you can use principles from games and martial arts to improve your life! My name is Daniel Williams and I started this blog because I wanted to share what I know about both activities and how they relate to each other. 

The Martial Arts and Dō 

A martial art is an art that teaches techniques that can be used to defeat an opponent and improve oneself. When Americans hear the term "martial arts", they usually think of Asian arts such as karate, taekwondo, and judo. However, European arts like boxing and wrestling are very much martial arts as well. Every martial art has its own set of goals, but each art has its students work towards improving themselves and trains them to defeat opponents in some way. 

In my writings here, I will be focused specifically on dō styles. Dō (pronounced like "dough") means "way of life". Thus, dō  styles focus on training students to be better at and happier in all aspects of their lives.

Games, Sports, and Dō

I realize the that the "true" distinction between games and sports is hotly contested by some people, but, for the purposes of this blog, let's just assume these things:

• A game is an activity with a set of rules and a defined goal. Games are usually played "just for fun".
• A sport is a game that requires the performance of complex physical actions that can only be effectively accomplished by those with "lots of practice"

So would I consider the martial arts I train in to be games or sports?  They do have many of the same components- rules, defined goals (belts), complex physical actions, they're lots of fun to learn, etc. We also have competitions, just like you might do with a playing a game or a sport. However, the key thing that makes what I and my peers do not a sport or a game is the awareness that our styles are dō arts- that they exist not to entertain us, but to make us better and stronger people- physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

But you can use the dō mindset at any time, on any activity. You just need to look inward and ask yourself- "What am I doing right now and how is helping to make me a better person?"

A martial artist can do this while training to discover how what they are current working on is benefitting them. A gamer can do the same exercise while playing their game of choice to become better at winning. To become a happier person, any person at any time can look at what they are doing right now and just ask "How can I use this moment, whether it's good or bad, to make myself better and happier in some way?" 

I hope you found this post useful and that you enjoy reading it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

I'll be back soon with a the "rules" of the Game of Dō.

Until next time,

-Daniel