Posts filed under 'General'
In an upscale, gated LA community a distraught 45 year old financial analyst, unemployed with his fortune lost, killed his family and himself. He laid out a will, a letter to the police accepting responsibility for the deed, and a suicide note. The narrative recounted the extreme financial tragedy brought upon his family in what he called “an unfortunate downward spiral”, and explained his planned and subsequent “solution”. At the scene Deputy Chief of Police Michel Moore, said, “this is the perfect American family behind me, absolutely destroyed, because of a man who just got stuck in a rabbit hole of absolute despair, somehow working his way into believing this to be an acceptable exit”.
What remains when everything falls away? Crisis may cloud our judgment and generate disastrous behavior, even among the intelligent and successful, as evidenced in this tragedy. 6 people are gone. Why? The financial pressure ripped apart sense and reason. This is extreme and tragic, but we are all experiencing a new reality.
The recent economic events are disturbing. It is a barren landscape and each change shifts our identity. For many of us this is the forced quest for the self. Where do we go from here?
We at TanDao look at how the martial arts may be applied to life. Survival and self defense are basics. It is not skill, technique, or strength, but ultimately an invisible power, an inner strength that determines victory or defeat. During the American Revolution the colonial militia, comprised of ragtag farmers with hunting rifles and farm implements, were able to vanquish the well equipped and mightiest military empire…Great Britain. It wasn’t the fire power, the fancy uniform, or the reputation, but the fighting spirit of the patriotic colonialists that prevailed. They found their footing, dug in and centered. Clarity. Purpose. Survival.
This is the spirit of the martial way. Whether battle or financial crisis, if our strength feels depleted, options exhausted and confidence obliterated, despair may follow with catastrophic consequences.
Things we know now seem unfamiliar. But we are alive. It is time to clear our minds, find our footing and learn to center. As long as we are centered, there are possibilities and options yet to be discovered. In these tough times, let’s remind ourselves to look within, the power is there.
Breathe deep. Center. Share your burden. Be a friend.
Lawrence & Toni
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October 8th, 2008
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was fed by an abundance of wood. There were wooden streets, homes and buildings made of wood, raw lumber sat piled high in factory yards and a there was a storehouse of wood items produced in the mills. There had also been a dry spell, with no rain for a long time. The blaze started easily and as the fire grew stronger, so did high winds.
The city was also slow to react, not weighing these factors or the severity of the situation. And the horse drawn fire trucks moved slowly. As a result, the fire burned out of control on those autumn days. In its devastation, hundreds were killed, thousands more left homeless and 73 miles of street along with
17,500 buildings were destroyed.
As the embers cooled, cities across the globe sent money and supplies. People worked together and started to rebuild. Within 3 months 300,000 buildings were constructed and there was enough industry to create new jobs. Chicago grew strong. Everyone learned from the experience. A better fire alarm system with a quicker response time was put in place. The old system failed.
In the last month, Americans, New Yorkers in particular, have been saying goodbye to cathedrals of our youth. Paul Newman has died. Astroland in Coney Island closed it gates. The last ball game was played at House That Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium. Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, now follows suit. Wall Street, though unexpected, began the process of closing many of its labyrinth doors.
It had climbed into bed with the devil and set itself on fire, the blaze fed by an abundance of greed. The country was slow to react, not weighing these factors or the severity of the situation. As a result the fire is burning out of control on these autumn days. In its devastation, the inferno has spread to Main Street.
How long before this fire goes out? Will a better fire alarm system with a quicker response time be put into place? The old system failed.
How will we rise from the ashes? In the martial way, the warrior is aware that often survival itself is the victory. It is more than physical strength and training. It is a space to source our inner power. Our discipline now calls us to action, tests our endurance and asks for our resiliency. It is a time to rebuild.
Toni Josephson
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September 28th, 2008
mi·rage (m-räzh) n.
1. An optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water, often with inverted reflections of distant objects, resulting from distortion of light by alternate layers of hot and cool air.
2. Something illusory or insubstantial.
His blog read, “I’m not just going out into the desert, I’m going out into the desert to hunt for lost treasure. I’m going on a pilgrimage of sorts, a journey to solitude, to do some thinking, and to pay my respects to the great mysteries.” With an appetite for adventure Texas born Evan Tanner, middle weight Mixed Martial Artist, outdoorsman, and wandering spirit went off on his lone southern California desert trek to explore inner & outer landscapes. He assured friends & fans he was aware “any failure of my equipment could cost me my life”. An aggressive and intimidating fighter, he believed in his own survivorship. His friends believed that he had overcome a dark period of personal problems in his life and was up to the risky expedition. He even brought a cell phone along…a lifeline. He called a friend to say his bike was out of gas and he would walk to safety. It was the last call he made. Alone, with temperatures nearing 115 degrees, at age 37, he succumbed to the elements 3 miles from camp.
What happened on that fated day in the desert? It’s hard not to wonder — was he physically, emotionally and spiritually prepared for the trip?
The ancient Greek aphorism “Know Thyself” has great import, but how does one measure personal truth against illusion? Do we truly know who we are? Is our perception accurate? Do the people we know and trust hold up a mirror for us? Do we do the same for them? When we believe we see safety and salvation — do we? Or is it a mirage?
Martial Arts is about vigilance, with a clear survey of the opponent, the landscape — ever scanning the situation and all of its variables. Anticipation helps to plan accordingly. It is paying attention and being prepared. Every martial artist would agree.
We will never know what happened. Or why. Perhaps the air and light created a mirage. Maybe Tanner saw a cool, clear pool of water in the distance and thought he could reach it. How precarious life is. How fragile we are, even the tough guys.
Condolences to family & friends.
Toni Josephson
September 17th, 2008
Politics aside, there was something in John McCain’s acceptance speech as Republican presidential candidate that surpassed party and preference. A story for martial artists who aspire to the warrior ideals: discipline, courage and sacrifice. And for all of us, a remarkable example of the resilient human spirit. It is a tale of transcendence.
As a young man and soldier, McCain was filled with the youthful pride and arrogance of self absorption.
By his own count “tougher than anyone”. Unflappable. Unbreakable. Sure in his tour of duty that he would safely return home unscathed. He was invincible.
Instead, he found himself, limbs broken, a prisoner of war in a dark Hanoi cell. Some of the “toughness” fell away. Unable to care for himself, he was hand fed and kept alive by his two cell mates. He said, “ I was beginning to learn the limits of my selfish independence.” Another layer of toughness broke off.
When offered release ahead of the other prisoners (in breach of their code of release by order of capture), he believed it would be used as propaganda and a tool to demoralize fellow prisoners. He said no. He did what he felt was right, not what was safe. And he paid dearly for that decision.
His captors tortured him, and finally broke him. It may seem on the surface and perhaps to a body broken McCain, the warrior, was defeated. But taps on the wall from a fellow prisoner in the next cell told him to feel no shame and to keep going. With that support and his own inner warrior, he did just that. Yes he was captured, but he never surrendered. Moving beyond self kept him alive and ultimately brought healing. The veneer was gone, but the spirit never fell away.
“Long ago, something unusual happened to me that taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. I was blessed by misfortune. I mean that sincerely. I was blessed because I served in the company of heroes, and I witnessed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love.” –John McCain
In Tandao, the consonance of the scholar, warrior and monk represents the integrated person. The goal is to move beyond ego to new levels of awareness. John McCain’s story is the expression of the egoless self. It emerges from its trial by fire. It does not come easily. Hard work, perseverance and a view of a bigger world outside of yourself lies in the road ahead. It is a path of hot coals and broken glass. How will you walk it?
Toni Josephson
September 10th, 2008
Inside the Hayden Planetarium, at the Rose Center for Earth & Space, we walked the circular cosmic pathway lined with information about 13 billion years of cosmic evolution.
At the foot of the path, kids were eagerly jumping on to a digital floor scale that reveals what your weight would be on the moon. A large bronze model of the moon stood above a panel that read, “The Moon Is A Dead World”. There was something evocative and striking about the statement. Sad too.
Imagine the moon. What comes to mind?
An earthly perspective? The moon is a bright object in our night sky. A source of mystery. We feared it, revered it. From the beginning of language, man created countless tales of its legend and lore. Our calendars are set by its phases. We romanticize it in poems and love songs.
A heavenly perspective? The moon is a dark and desolate place in the universe. It is part of our solar system. Lifeless, there is no atmosphere to support living organisms. There is no magnetic field. No fossils, just rocks & dust.
And yet this barren place holds great importance for us here on Earth. The moon was essential to the development of life on this planet, with its powerful effect on water. Tides created by the moon brought sea creatures to shore. Left behind by the primordial ooze, stranded in tidal pools, on rocks and beaches, marine life adapted. Evolving, it grew legs, lungs, and wings.
Life made the transition from sea to shore, species formed and intelligent life emerged. Though unable to support life on its own surface, the moon has shaped our world. We are here writing this, and you are reading it…partly, and with thanks to, the moon.
Sometimes we have to examine our perspectives and perceptions. Are we looking too closely at things? Do we need to step back to get a glimpse of the bigger picture? Or, is a close observation necessary?
What in our practice, in our life, can we go back to with new eyes? Is it something mysterious, or perhaps something simple – or seemingly irrelevant, that has shaped us? What will foster our growth?
There is great power in finding one’s self stranded on a strange shore. It is where we find our legs. And where our wings are born.
Lawrence & Toni
September 1st, 2008
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