When in the arena,
Yield not to an aggressor.
When outside the arena,
Affirm compassion.This world and this society are competitive. Tao uses the metaphor of the warrior to meet that competition. Warriors never yield to their opponents. They may sidestep, but they do not give way.
Whether you are a lawyer, police officer, fire fighter, doctor, businessperson, athlete, or any one of numerous other professions, you compete against either other people or natural forces. But there is a right way and a wrong way to compete. Avoid anger and greed. Use concentration and awareness.
Coincidentally, concentration and awareness are also necessary for spirituality. That is why the follower of Tao incorporates the way of the warrior into training. The warrior and the sage both seek to transcend emotion and petty thinking, to perfect themselves, and to live lives of the deepest truth.
But when outside the arena, do not forget to be kind. Leave behind competitive aggression. You must still have awareness, concentration, and reflex, but the expression will be different. Your compassion must not falter. That is why the combination of the way of the warrior with the way of Tao is the ultimate symbol of versatility. Such a follower of Tao commands the extremes of the universe.
Battle, n., A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would not yield to the tongue. — Ambrose Bierce
Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods. — Confucius
Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again. — Robert A. Heinlein
Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. — Winston Churchill
Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it. — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
I can certainly be unyielding when it comes to things I believe strongly in, such as love. I will fight to the end for those I care for. But I am very yielding when it comes to those things that are really not so important after all. I work very hard to let people do as they will, unless I strongly believe that what they are doing will cause them or others harm. I am learning, slowly, to let go of other people when they want to harm themselves, however difficult that is. Sometimes that is the only way for people to learn the lessons they need to learn. Sometimes, it is simply what they will do no matter what I tell them. I still draw the line when it comes to harming others, though. There are people I will always have issues with for the harm they have done to others.
My unyielding love for others has caused me problems, but it is a deep part of who I am. Now, I love with far less attachment, even for those I am closest to. I know very well that all these loves will one day be gone, but I love anyway. The love itself will never yield, not to anything. And I would still do anything to fight for those I care about, even those who wouldn’t give me the time of day. It’s just who I am.
One Response
I, too, am non-yielding in the love arena. My biggest challenge has been to remain so with, as you say, less attachment. I get such a lift out of reading your blog. Thank you, again.