Talk about something to think about.  It has taken me a few months to read this novel and every moment that I invested in this read has paid off.

I started reading this novel because of Jocko Wilink and Tim Ferriss and the Jocko Podcast.  I have always been interested in Japanese culture and I thought this might give me an insight into it.  I loved it.

Something to think about, a take away.  A love story that has no description of the bodies of the characters being intertwined or even any hint of impropriety before marriage.  This same two characters denying each other their union until the time is right.  The female character loving the male character and being able to wait even though the male character seems to repeatedly tell her that she should get on with her life and forget him.  The female character taking the male characters dedication to the way of the sword as something that makes her love him more.

Concepts that are foreign to us in modern America.

What totally welded this novel into my consciousness is the final battle between combatants.  After the bout is over the winner thanks the loser for the part he has played in his development and his travel through life.  IE His life was improved because this guy made it difficult.  To say it is a different look at competition is an understatement.  It shows that another culture (not American) is beautifully different enough to teach me something by the mere exposure of reading a novel.

What can we learn from other cultures?  Think about it.