Musashi vs. the Modern Man
Escaping the Echo Chamber of “Alpha” Masculinity
Forget the grindset podcasts and alpha male gurus. If you want to learn how to live as a man, read the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. It's a sweeping, page-turning, epic based on the life of the legendary Samurai, Miyamoto Musashi.
I first read this book in my twenties, and it changed and shaped my life. This wasn't just an epic story for me, it was an overlooked manual for discipline, humility, and mastery. It became a literary mentor. And I believe every young man (and grown ass man) should read it.
My fascination with society has led me down more rabbit holes than I care to admit. One I haven't mentioned is the manosphere: an online ecosystem of male influencers, self-styled philosophers, and "truth-tellers" spouting a mix of masculinity, dating advice, and self-improvement.
At its core, it's built around a handful of concepts: "alpha males" as evolutionary winners, "red pill" truths as a mythology of sex and power, and the belief that society is rigged against men.
It's marketed as tough-love wisdom. But it's just recycled evolutionary psychology and manufactured outrage. It's an echo chamber. One that preys on young men who feel lost, isolated, or confused. It offers them a convenient fix. A fix that usually involves dominance, trashing women, rejecting vulnerability, and skipping the deeper work it takes to become whole.
What's ironic is how closely this mindset mirrors Musashi's early character. Musashi starts his journey as a brash, impulsive young man obsessed with glory. He believes greatness is earned through domination. Killing faster. Training harder. Never back down. The kind of energy today's manosphere gurus would embrace as "elite."
But what makes Musashi so compelling isn't the epic duels and feats of strength; it's his evolution.
As he matures, Mushashi learns that true mastery has nothing to do with victory and everything to do with inner clarity.
He loses. He retreats. He wanders the forest, not just to escape a violent past or his strained relationship with his father, but to unlearn what society taught him. He isolates not to sulk, but to listen.
To nature.
To silence.
To the parts of himself that weren't shaped by ambition.
He learns to slow down, and gradually, you see him transform, not just into a better fighter, but into a deeper human being.
He stops chasing battles to prove something and begins to treat each fight like a mirror.
Not: "How do I defeat my opponent?"
But: "What is this revealing of myself? My ego? My fears? My spirit?"
Musashi's path becomes less about conquest and more about alignment with himself, nature, and his craft.
His philosophy, particularly in his last writings "Dokkōdō" (The Way of Walking Alone), is centered on self-possession. Not in the Instagram sense of "don't care what anyone thinks", but in the deeper understanding of living by your own examined principles.
Things like remaining calm and focused under pressure. Never be jealous. Responding thoughtfully—not impulsively. Letting go of illusion and accepting reality without resistance or regret.
"It is easy to crush an enemy outside oneself, but impossible to defeat an enemy within."—Musashi, Eiji Yoshikawa
That line struck me because, like most men, I was taught to fight the outer battles. I was taught that to win, you had to push harder, grind longer, and stay ahead. The real war is internal. The battles to overcome pride, fear, comparison, and self-deception. These are the hardest to fight, but give us the only victories that matter.
He believed in practicing multiple arts: calligraphy, painting, poetry, and sculpture. Not only to sharpen his mind but also his spirit and swordsmanship. Each discipline improved his precision, timing, and focus. Physically and mentally. It inspired me to do the same and taught me that becoming well-rounded is an integral part of self-mastery.
“A man cannot understand the art he is studying if he only looks for the end result without taking the time to delve deeply into the reasoning of the study."—Miyamoto Musashi
In his writings, The Book of Five Rings, he is often misunderstood. People treat it as a strategy for business. It's not. It's a book about clarity and perceiving things as they are, not as we want them to be. Musashi aimed to cultivate a mindset that could face any challenge, whether in combat or life, without being disturbed, doubtful, confused, or fearful.
It's not about becoming invincible.
It's about becoming unshakeable.
In Musashi, strength often means not fighting. It means waiting, observing, and choosing the right moment. There's no "alpha" posturing. No flexing. Just a deep, centered kind of restraint. One that most of today's male "alpha" influencers would call “beta”, and mistake for weakness.
If there was ever an antidote to the superficial and toxic guides for men who want to master themselves, it's Musashi. Not because it offers easy answers. It doesn't. It demands you look inward. That you slow down. That you walk alone. That you do the work.
I hope you read Musashi. If you do, read it slowly. Let it challenge you. Let it shape you. Then pass it on. I just bought my third copy, and when I finish it, I am giving it to my son.
A few principles from Musashi’s Dokkōdō :
(In no particular order:)
Accept everything just the way it is.
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
Be detached from desire your whole life long.
Do not regret what you have done.
Never be jealous.
Resentment and complaint are inappropriate, for oneself or others.
Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
Do not fear death.
You may abandon your own body, but you must preserve your honor.
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Thanks for being here. Stay Curious. Question Everything.
–Luis
I still remember going through it what a great read
Great piece! I have had The Book of Five Rings in my Amazon cart forever. I need to just buy it. I remember having the Hagakure in my twenties and just loving it.