A little Philosophy: Gentleness as a form of self defense
Quote:
Chapter 69
A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the
host (to commence the war); I prefer to be the guest (to act on the
defensive). I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a
foot.' This is called marshalling the ranks where there are no ranks;
baring the arms (to fight) where there are no arms to bare; grasping
the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; advancing against the
enemy where there is no enemy.
There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. To do
that is near losing (the gentleness) which is so precious. Thus it is
that when opposing weapons are (actually) crossed, he who deplores
(the situation) conquers.
Is gentleness a form of self defense? I keep thinking about the Tao concept of wu wei and whether or not this is a flawed concept.
Abe Lincoln said "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?"
I don't know much about this, but it seems to me that it begins with making a decision about whether you prefer gentleness or aggressiveness and then defending that which you believe to be better or right. If you just go with the flow, and the flow (all around you) is war/aggressiveness, then you aren't being true to your beliefs. And, if you believe that in the end right will prevail, then you should defend your beliefs by insisting on passivity: engaging the warrior by refusing to fight. Choosing what you believe is the moral high ground and not budging.
I guess I believe that there are times for aggressive behavior, if choosing to be pacifist and defending that choice aggressively can be considered aggressive.
This is making my brain hurt, but I think it goes to the heart of the conundrum of raising moral kids. You want them to be moral, but not pushovers. You want to instill enough drive and strength that they will "fight" for what they believe is right and what they want to accomplish. But not so much that they are bullies with no concern for those they push out of the way to get where they want to go.
Some of this book is very esoteric and some of it deals very specifically with the practice of applied kineseology. BUT, the over all concept of power v. force and the development of human beings based on his scale of consciousness is FANTASTIC.
I think it's your philosophy of life..I don't think you can pull it out and just use it when you want. If you truly believe something is wrong, and truly believe violence is wrong, you will passively find a way to resist it....Ghandi shook up the entire British army with his passively resistance to their occupation....Martin Luther King, Jr movement made great strides in the civil rights movement.
But you either take it to heart, passivity as a way of life, or you don't.
I'm reminded of the Amish communities. Those that stay in the community and embrace the ways, are said to be 100% satisfied with their lives. Can any of us say that?
The way of Gandhi, Christ, Buddha, Brahma, are difficult to apply to our lives today. There is so much static all around us. I imagine that it may be easier in a community of like minded people.
Any of you living in a commune? I always liked that idea, but Utopian societies have a way of breaking down eventually.
I had a friend who was at a party in Michigan one time, and he and some others were shooting ducks in the lake, from off the balcony of the condo. I objected strongly over them killing the ducks. "Don't worry," my friend said, "We're only shooting the smart asses."
See? Breakdown.
I recently caught Dr. Wayne Dyer talking about the Tao Te Ching - he has translated it and was offering it on the PBS, membership drive. Very nice ideas, and I'm currently attempting to adopt a more passive mode of being. Rather than trying to swim upstream to some imagined Xanadu, I am choosing to float on the river of well-being, allowing the law of attraction to bring to me everything I need. It's working rather well, BTW.
PS - nice to see you Cookie! :wink
Last edited by Merry Feathers; 08-24-2007 at 11:08 AM.
Hi....I don't live in a commune...and I think the static in the world is self-imposed....we choose to complicate or simplify our lives by our decisions....
For instance, we seem to need a "consultant" to make any decision. we have an instructor/coach to lose weight, to decide how to redo our home, to picking our clothes (latest fashions in magazines) to what to read (Oprah's pick).....if you have all these external forces you are focused on, you lose yourself.
However, slowing down and doing it yourself, including NOT carpooling your children to activities after activities but rather being with them for family activities, allows people to slow down and make their OWN decisions.
You can certainly live IN the world and not OF the world...give up crap....find yourseld....spend all the time you can with your children and teach them to play ball...gather neighborhood kids for a game on saturday afternoon, or go fishing, or go hiking....YOU be the center...for children and your life...you'd be surprised how much of life you enjoy!! IMHO.
Hi....I don't live in a commune...and I think the static in the world is self-imposed....we choose to complicate or simplify our lives by our decisions....
For instance, we seem to need a "consultant" to make any decision. we have an instructor/coach to lose weight, to decide how to redo our home, to picking our clothes (latest fashions in magazines) to what to read (Oprah's pick).....if you have all these external forces you are focused on, you lose yourself.
However, slowing down and doing it yourself, including NOT carpooling your children to activities after activities but rather being with them for family activities, allows people to slow down and make their OWN decisions.
You can certainly live IN the world and not OF the world...give up crap....find yourseld....spend all the time you can with your children and teach them to play ball...gather neighborhood kids for a game on saturday afternoon, or go fishing, or go hiking....YOU be the center...for children and your life...you'd be surprised how much of life you enjoy!! IMHO.
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