The opponents and I are really one. My strength and skills only

Sadaharu Oh, master of the diamond and sage of the bat, spoke a truth that resounds far beyond the realm of sport: “The opponents and I are really one. My strength and skills only half of the equation. The other half is theirs. An opponent is someone whose strength joined to yours creates a certain result.” These words unveil a mystery: that rivalry is not enmity, but partnership. That the clash of two wills, two strengths, is not merely battle, but a joining, a weaving together of fates in a single moment. Without the opponent, there is no contest; without the test, there is no glory.

In these lines, Oh recalls the ancient wisdom that even war is a teacher. The opponent is not simply an enemy to be crushed, but a mirror through whom one’s own skill is revealed. What is the value of a sword never struck against another blade? What is the worth of strength never measured by resistance? Just as fire tests the purity of gold, so does the rival test the truth of a warrior’s spirit. The result is not wrought by one alone, but by two, locked together in struggle, shaping an outcome that neither could create without the other.

The ancients knew this truth well. In the Olympic Games of Greece, the runner was exalted, but his victory was born only because others raced beside him. The wrestler’s triumph was forged in the grip of another’s hands. Even the philosopher, debating in the agora, was sharpened by the challenge of his peers. Consider Socrates himself: without his accusers and questioners, his teachings would not have blazed so brightly through history. The opponents gave him occasion to speak, to defend, to reveal wisdom that endures even now. Thus, conflict, when met with honor, becomes communion.

Sadaharu Oh himself, legendary home run king of Japan, understood that each swing was a dialogue with the pitcher. His triumphs were not his alone; they were born from the tension between his bat and the opponent’s pitch. One hurled the ball with all the force and cunning of his craft, and the other met it with precision and power. The crowd saw contest, but Oh saw union — two halves of an equation, two artists shaping one masterpiece. In this lies the deeper meaning: greatness is never solitary, but always forged in relation to others.

The teaching also carries into life beyond the field. In every struggle — personal, professional, or spiritual — the resistance we face is not a curse but a companion. The obstacles that oppose us, the rivals who contend with us, even the hardships that weigh upon us — all are the “other half” of the equation. Without resistance, there is no growth; without conflict, no refinement. To see the opponent as partner is to be freed from bitterness, to walk with dignity even in defeat, and to learn even from the hardest blows of life.

This wisdom demands a shift of vision. Do not despise your adversaries, nor curse your difficulties. Instead, honor them, for they are the ones who reveal your hidden strength. When challenged, say within yourself: This moment is not mine alone, but ours — mine and the opponent’s, mine and the trial’s. Let gratitude dwell where resentment once lived. In this way, every battle becomes a teacher, and every rival, a silent ally.

The lesson is clear: embrace the opponent, whether man or circumstance, as the one who makes your victory possible and your growth inevitable. Practice respect, even for those who stand against you. Train not only to overcome, but to understand, to learn, to join strength with theirs in the forging of destiny. And when you triumph, remember that the triumph was not wrought by you alone, but by the sacred joining of your will and theirs.

Thus, children of the future, walk this path: face every contest not with hatred, but with reverence. For your opponents and you are really one. In them you meet yourself, in them you discover your power, in them you shape the result that will stand as the testament of your life. Honor them, learn from them, and give thanks — for through their strength, your own is revealed.