* do not turn your back on the various ways of the world*
The first of the twenty one tenets of "The Way of Walking Alone."
Turning your back on something has many different implication. Fear. Cowardice. Disrespect. Dishonor. Shame. Disownment. As you can see… there are very few good reasons to turn you back on something, someone or some place.
In the timeframe that this was written in, a "way" was something defined as a path, a lifestyle, a training discipline, an art… so on and so forth. Basically, anything that you could devote yourself to could be defined as a way.
Turning your back on the various ways of the world could be seen as intentional ignorance. Refusing to accept that there are other 'ways' is also a trait closely associated with close minded individuals that few that there are only a few ways about something. "There is only one way to fight, only one way to draw, only one great strategy for football." All these mentalities show turning your back on the various ways of the world.
Throughout history, diversification of tactics and different approaches to all things artistic and material have caused whatever it was being expanded upon to flourish. We have many different pieces of art, from drawing, paintings, sculpture, engravings and reliefs because of groups of individuals that did not let their mind be fastened to one particular type of art.
In this way, I believe that Musashi is showing us that by embracing, or at the very least, accepting that there are other ways, expands us as individuals and broadens our experience in life.
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