There is a basic idea behind your existence, my existence, and our neighbor's existences. There is a basic building block to our lives without which we would not be human. There is a basic building block on which our entire society rests.
Want to know what it is?
Conflict.
Yup. That's it. With one word I can describe your every single action. With one word I can tell you who you are.
With one word, the world changes.
Every day you come up against a brick wall at some point. The wall might be knee-high one day, easily crossed. But the next day the impenetrable wall is miles high, miles wide, miles thick.
And it's coming closer.
Now's the time to break out the bunkers and bunker-busters! Now's the time to hunker down and get ready for a fight! Now's the time to put up your fists and fight your way through!
STOP!
Don't get ready for a prolonged battle with something that will roll over you like a steamroller over new road! Don't prepare your mental defenses! And most importantly, don't put up your fists and fight your way out!
Slow Down.
There's a different way. There's a better way. There's a way that won't give you stress headaches and other maladies. There's a way that won't leave you crying in the dust of life's tailpipe. There's a way that won't leave you torn apart and scattered on the four winds.
Want to know what it is?
(Before I tell you, I must elicit a promise from you. Make this a promise that you will keep. Make me, make yourself, a promise to try it. Next time you come up against a wall, no matter how large, try this out)
There are two things to remember when dealing with the proverbial brick wall.
Life
Time
Regardless of how you handle every single problem, Life continues. Regardless of how you approach each conflict, Time stands resolute. Remember that. When each conflict approaches you, be it a hurricane or a light rain, remember that. It is a hard thing to teach, even to explain. So I will refer you to an age old bard, a story-teller who has delighted all ages for many, many years. I refer you to Aesop, the old fable-fabricator. Specifically, I refer you to the fable of the Oak and the Willow.
Well, that fable doesn't have quite the ending for this analogy. The thing to get from this is that while the oak breaks before the fury of the storm, the willow takes it all in stride. A willow can weather any storm except those that can uproot all others first.
So, as crazy as it sounds,
Be a willow.
Bend before the force of the conflict. Take it in stride. It is a strange, alien way to do it. It is a strange, alien thing to try and understand. There is a trick to it, a trick everyone knows and no one uses.
The first trick is choice.
The first trick is to recognize that there is always a choice. Even when there is only one option, there is a choice. Recognize that no matter what is thrown at you, there are at least two choices.
The second trick is trial and error. Learn from your mistakes and do better next time.
The third trick?
I'll leave that one to you.
