on
Friday
I caught myself
speaking
the word
“struggle”
on repeat
I
stopped
mid-sentence
to shift
word choice
and
thought process
I don’t know what struggle means to you, but to me it speaks of frustration and floundering. When I adopt (s=f&f ) as my mindset, I limit my potential.
The ancient masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance. They were careful as someone crossing an iced over stream; alert as a warrior in enemy territory; courteous as a guest; fluid as melting ice; shapeable as a block of wood; receptive as a valley; clear as a glass of water.
~Lao Tzu
on
Sunday
I caught myself
struggling
in heated conversation
which I invited
Is the question… “Do you think democracy is becoming a failed system?”
really that controversial
it seems my conversants
expected my question to come with answers
(she says smiling sweetly)
they do not play the game
by rules I’ve learned on different fields
where you can poke the bear and everyone
plays along
…
washing dishes
I stopped struggling
and thought…
Well, that was perfect!
What did you learn?
What question will you bring to tomorrow’s table?
Once you have acquired the skills, you must test them on an opponent, but in no way should you consider victory or submission to be a cause for shame or pride. Rather you ought to think, “By what means did I defeat him, or…by what means could I have defeated him?” Then you exert and test yourself for a while.
~unknown
not looking for
victory or defeat
I will keep trying
to play the game
I want us all to win…
Hmmm... The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest?
As for a failing system (democracy) I’d offer this nuance: when one subset of the overall constituency of a democracy believes their interpretation is the only correct/proper one, that constitutes a failure to apply the “E Pluribus Unum” guiding principles.
Love the sinner; hate the sin?
Thanks for a thought provoking topic today Gail.
What would I/we have to believe for all of us to win? What is "winning" anyway?