…and I will die tonight
—
…And I Will Die Tonight”What if today was your last?
Not as a morbid thought, but as an invitation—to live fully, to cut through distractions, to see life in sharp relief. This final position in the “Ronin1Eye” practice is the ultimate distillation of presence, intensity, and appreciation.Each morning, when you wake, whisper to yourself:
“…And I will die tonight.”
Feel the weight of it—not as a burden, but as a liberation. If this truly were your last day, how would you walk? Would you drag through routine, half-aware, numbed by habit? Or would you “see, taste, move, and feel” as if every moment was your first and last?
Imagine drinking a cup of tea, coffee, or water, knowing it is the final sip you will ever take. How deeply would you taste it? Would you rush through it, distracted, or would you experience it completely—the temperature, the texture, the way it moves in your mouth?
This is the state you train for: total engagement.
By embracing your impermanence, you strip away illusions and grasp the essence of life. Joy emerges naturally, not as fleeting pleasure, but as something deeper— Eudaimonic happiness, the flourishing that comes from living with purpose, integrity, and full awareness.
### **Death as a Catalyst for Life**”Many fear death because they have not yet fully lived. The Ronin does not wait for death to remind him of what matters. He chooses to be awake now. He does not ask: *How long do I have?” but “How will I live today?”
To hold this thought—”I will die tonight”—is not to surrender to despair, but to ignite your spirit. It is to walk with intensity, to love without hesitation, to taste every bite, to hear every note of music, to fight with everything in you, and to embrace even the smallest moments as treasures.
This is the The Mind of the Martial Artist
Mini Exercise: The Last Breath
1. Sit still and take a slow, deep breath.
2. Imagine it is the last breath you will ever take.
3. Feel the air enter your body. Experience every sensation, every shift in awareness.
4. Now exhale, releasing all tension, all resistance.
5. Open your eyes. Live the next moment as if it were the first moment of your last day.
This is not a meditation on death. It is a meditation on life—**your life, right now**.
And so, when the morning comes, you will whisper again:
“I will die tonight.”
And in that whisper, you will find the greatest reason to live.
