Ancient Warriors in the Digital World

We often called our few and highly talented and motivated developers at our office Samurais. This was a subconscious feeling and an appropriate word for defining the developers who have helped us during the last 8 years that we have established our company. It still feels the best word for describing these guys.

The Samurai were retainers for their masters and aligned their actions in life to be able to support the master in the best way. The masters for our developer samurais have always been the projects. A Samurai would commit seppuku upon losing the master and this is the mindset of a Samurai developer upon failing the project.

There are many attitudes, specifically the mental ones, that can be analyzed and discussed for comparing the legendary warriors with the modern incarnations but I will go for one I recently came across.

I was talking with a few friends recently about how I feel the special developer (coder, designer, artist) here is the one who when has an eye taken, a hand chained, attendance time limited and generally constrained, will do the best possible work and do it with zero complains and with the highest quality possible. Oh this being something doable by the few special ones, the few Samurais around. It turns out that this is what the word "courage" meant for the Samurais as the Book of the Samurai, "Hagakure" says.

..."Young men should discipline themselves rigorously in intention and courage. This will be accomplished if only courage is fixed in one's heart. If one's sword is broken, he will strike with his hands. If his hands are cut off, he will press the enemy down with his shoulders. If his shoulders are cut away, he will bite through ten or fifteen enemy necks with his teeth. Courage is such a thing."

From the 7th Chapter, Hagakure

Courage is indeed such a thing...