From
the Bottom of the Bucket
“Patience
Grasshopper”
One of my favorite television shows when I was a young
man was “Kung Fu” starring David Carradine,has Kwai Chang Kane,
a Shaolin monk, whose many experiences always counseled patience. Tis characteristic was continually reinforced in
Kane’s early training by his teacher, Master Po. Each week, Kane would be confronted with a
dilemma, which challenged his nonviolent training with a circumstance that seemed
to call for quick, if sometimes, violent action. In thinking back about the influence that had
on me, I feel it was that show that led me to my practice of Tai Chi. Which I
still use to train myself to slow down.
As I have crossed The Path of Life, one of the lessons I
have learned is to make mistakes slowly.
I also have learned to give more attention to the way I feel than I used to. In today’s rational world, we are all prone
to consider “only the facts”. As you
gain experience, you realize “facts” are highly subjective and influenced by
personal biases. As Dr. Carl
Hammerschlag says “The heart knows things the mind never thought of”.
So why is it that we are in such a hurry? What is driving this mania towards The
Future? Materialism is rampant in
America and the pursuit of Happiness is not getting any easier. Do we really need all the “stuff” we have? Should we ignore what is in front of us now,
for the possibility of what might be in the future?
Master Po (who was blind-get it?), would often counsel
Kane to have patience and The Way would become clear. A tough lesson for type
“A”s, who always seem to equate action with accomplishment. The point is, if you stop to consider how you
are managing your resources, the chances for a successful outcome may improve.
The New Year is upon us.
Traditionally this is the time that we pause to reflect on what we have
achieved and how we will allocate our resources for the next year. Why not take
some time out to consider the big picture, before running head first into your
future?
I would again
invite you to visit the exercises at the bottom of this blog (The System) as a
structured approach to considering these issues. If you do so with Patience, perhaps your way
will become clearer!
Until next month, I wish you fulfillment.
Bob
