Brian Klemmer - The Compassionate Samurai: Being Extraordinary in an Ordinary World

The

COMPASSIONATE

S AMURAI

BEING EXTRAORDINARY

IN AN ORDINARY WORLD

Library of Congress Cataloging No.: 2007935332

Printed in the United States of America

C ONTENTS

I want this book to awaken a resonance in you like a tuning fork that vibrates so much that it compels you to take extreme action. In general, people fall into one of two categories: Theyre either kind, caring individuals who cant make anything happen; or theyre heartless, self-centered jerks with no values who make big things happen.

Think about your days in high school. It might be a stretch, but just reminisce for a minute. Who dated the best-looking girls? Many times, wasnt it the boorish jocks with the most offensive attitudes and careless manners? On the other hand, the nicest, kindest, most considerate guys couldnt get a girlfriend. Who dated the best-looking guys? Wasnt it often the girls with fairly loose standards?

Look in the newspaper at the endless stream of greedy, unethical people from Tyco International, Arthur Andersen, and Enron who raked in unbelievable amounts of cash, were convicted of fraud, and ended up in jail. Unfortunately, they had no compassion for the people whose lives they ruined in the process. Think about the top executives in the tobacco industry who denied the obvious health implications associated with smoking. And how many jokes have you heard that lampoon attorneys because so many have more regard for profit than justice?

We often hear the expression Nice guys finish last (this isnt gender specific). The compassionate guy with the big heart never seems to get what he wants in life, while the rude one always seems to achieve his desires. Tragically, many of us accept this paradigm as the way life should be and as an acceptable way for people to behave. For the most part, we tend to believe (whether we want to admit it or not) that truly good-hearted people will never make a whole lot of money, be influential, or achieve the honors they deserve in life.

Intuitively, we dont believe that compassionate individuals make a tangible difference. This is a global problem; it doesnt just exist in the United States. Its the reason why corruption is rampant in developing countries. Selfish people with their dog-eat-dog mentality seem to enjoy a crme de la crme lifestyle. Many people believe that a cutthroat attitude is necessary in order to achieve the very best. Ive written this book to let you know that you can be a mover and a shaker in the business or political world, enjoy great relationships and the finer things in life, and still be a caring person.

If you look carefully, there are many examples of this type of individual throughout history, in all cultures and in all walks of life. The ones who come to mind include General Robert E. Lee, the American Civil War Confederate leader; Saladin, the Muslim warrior of the 12th-century Crusades; and Nelson Mandela, the antiapartheid activist and former president of South Africa. Its very possible for you, too, to become what Ive dubbed the compassionate samurai.

The samurai were members of a Japanese warrior caste that rose to power in the 12th-century and dominated the government until 1868. They were famous as the most feared and respected warriors of their day and were known for being stoic and totally unfazed by circumstances. The warriors lived according to a very strict code of valueslater known as