The Ronin Journey: Why I Chose Freedom Over Belonging (And The Price I Paid)

Most people want to be a "Company Man." I chose to be a "Masterless Samurai." It sounds cool until you realize that freedom is just another word for having no home.

Inspiration: Sitting in a departure lounge in Georgia, realizing I’ve spent 15 years building empires for others while missing the milestones of my own family.

In feudal Japan, a Ronin was a samurai with no master. They were wanderers. They were mercenaries. They were skilled, dangerous, and free. But they were also outcasts. They didn't have the safety of the clan.

I realized recently: I am a Ronin.

I don't fit the corporate mold. I don't have a 30-year tenure at one firm. I move from war to war, solving problems, taking my fee, and moving on.

The 15-Year Exile

I have spent 15 years away from home. While my friends in Canada and Turkey were building families, buying houses, and attending Sunday dinners, I was in Bangkok, Istanbul, Batumi, and soon, Vietnam.

The Price:

• I missed the weddings of my best friends.
• I missed the funerals of people I loved.
• I missed the births of nieces and nephews.

I watched my own life happen through a WhatsApp window. That is the tax you pay for global ambition.

Why Do It? (The Hunter's Logic)

So why choose this life? Why not just settle down?

Well, the honest answer is, I have initially left Turkey to settle in Canada.

To provide a better future for my future family.

So that my future kids would have an easier time.

Only for the Canadian economy to crash as well, due to misaligned policies and incentivizing rent-seeking behaviour (as Taleb would advise against).

So, I had to pivot... Once again...

Why?

Because the Ronin values Competence over Comfort.

• If you stay in one village, you only learn how to fight in that village.
• If you travel the world, you learn how to fight in the jungle, the desert, and the city.

I am preparing to move again (Southeast Asia). It gets harder as you age. The logistics are exhausting. The loneliness hits different at 30 than it did at 20.

But the motivation is sharper.

I know the price I paid.

I know what I sacrificed.

If I gave up those weddings and funerals just to be "average," then the sacrifice was a waste. I have to win. I have to build something massive. Because that is the only way to justify the empty chair at the dinner table back home.

Conclusion: The Masterless Path

Being a Ronin isn't for everyone. It is a lonely path. But it is the only path where you own your soul.

My Take: I don't have a master. I don't have a safety net. But I have the skills to survive anywhere on earth. And for me, that is worth the price of admission.

Am I frustrated with Canadian and Turkish policymakers for ruining the economy for skilled workers like myself? Most likely...

Am I glad that I have the hunger and the skills to survive any market in the world? Most definitely.