authority-figure-free philosophy
Just writing these down for my own amusement, not as if I am actually a representative of anything like this. Mostly things gleaned from aikido training, and other things. Blah blah blah, yadda yadda.
Respect inertia.
Things take time. Mass is a fact of life. NB: Wise philosophers once said, “TIME! is marching on. And time! … is still marching on.”
Each moment is new.
Let experience guide, but when the present clashes with experience, the present wins. It’s useful to let go of assumptions and hone awareness in this respect. Pay particular attention when your butt is being kicked. Practice helps.
Accept onrushing positive and onrushing negative with the same attitude: meet them half-way and embrace them.
Quite a responsibility, but there you go. Running from them may not work anyway. Flip the latter into the former, if you can. (They’re not unrelated, it turns out.) Practice helps.
Move from the center out.
If movements originate at the center, the rest will follow naturally. No need to force it, no need to fight. Practice helps.
Listen to your body.
It’s the result of billions of years of intense research and development, and happens to belong to that class of things which are constructed wholly from raw principles of the universe and which are ultimately utterly inexpressible in words, just like you. It might “know” a thing or two on its own. Practice helps.
Tools are your friends. Use them.
Don’t get hung up over which tool is trendy, or which tool your ancestors used. That’s so pre-modern. Use the tools that work for you, now, and leave behind the ones you’ve outgrown or that never fit you to begin with. On the other hand, see the point about each moment being new, and also your ancestors may have been pretty sharp.
Don’t forget the value of sin and failure as tools. You know, don’t be a cosmic asshat, but don’t deny yourself a tool just ’cause some authority said no. Especially if you’ve already fucked up. Use it.
Laugh.
Uh, but not like this. I mean, unless you want to.
Keep trying.
Practice helps. Another wise philosopher once said, “Time is a lever long enough and strong enough.”
July 21st, 2005 at 1:08 pm
“Laugh. Uh, but not like this. I mean, unless you want to.”
Oh
my
gawd
O.o
July 21st, 2005 at 3:43 pm
isn’t that great? i’ve only ever seen about a fourth of it, since friggin’ windows media player never works right, but a fourth of it was enough … whoa.