Fear within

If the essence of the person is weak and fearful, he may put on a gentle act, but the reality he manifests is hard. A person compensates for internal weakness by becoming aggressive and defensive.
 
 A transformation is required, one that cannot occur when a person sees tai chi as an empty dance or a shoving match.
 
 (Wolfe Lowenthal)

A convincing front

Some people are so accustomed to acting tough that they forget that it is a front.
They posture and strut in a parody of masculinity.
This is an elaborate disguise designed to hide their inner fears and uncertainties.
It does not mean that the person is physically weak or martially inept.
It means that they are frightened and hide behind an image.

Admitting your vulnerability

A well-adjusted person is honest with themselves and other people - they are not afraid to say that they don't know or that they have doubts.
Nobody is perfect.
We all make mistakes. We are all vulnerable. We all fall ill. We all feel pain. We all experience fear. And we will all die.

This is what it means to be human.
The glory of the human spirit lies in our capacity to admit our fears and proceed regardless.
We call this 'courage'.


Being composed

The human body has primitive biological responses to violent situations.
These are useful to some extent but can also hamper our available range of options.

Students in our school are trained to keep their nervous systems grounded.

With a calm mind, settled emotions and a relaxed, balanced body - you have the opportunity to choose.
Rather than curl in a protective ball, you can deal with adverse situations differently.

The beginning of change lies with humour.


Accepting the unknown

Once you are willing to drop your front and admit your fears and your vulnerability, you can make progress.

Taoism helps us to face the unknown and realise that almost everything in existence is unknown.

When you can see the magnitude of reality, you feel humbled and small, insignificant.
You feel comfortable dropping your defences and just being yourself.

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Page created 5 September 2003