Tai Chi Chuan – Frenetic – Calm – Death
I
bet that last word got your attention.
Let
me begin by sharing with you a comment from an interested beginner that grabbed
MY attention. This wannabe told me that
tai chi seemed too Zen-like and calm and she really liked being “frenetic”. When she visits the countryside, it is too
boring.
Most
of us might associate the countryside with getting away from it all. Most of us might see New York City as a place
for excitement with too much to do and possibly full of crime.
Tai
chi has little to do with where you are.
It is how you inhabit the environment.
So whether the environment is slow and unrushed, or the environment is lively
or even jolting, your tai chi will help you out.
In
tai chi, you reflect the environment. It
would be ridiculous to charge around the countryside as if catching the next
bus (which is always determined to slip out of your hands as you approach
it.) It would also be ridiculous to
languidly cross a busy New York City street as if “calm” meant being some sort
of Zombie.
We
don’t slow down in tai chi in order to go slow. We slow down for the sake of being
aware. So in the countryside, you may
need to watch out for loose rocks under foot, ticks, snakes, the odd car here
and there, animals and so forth. In a
city like New York, you need to watch out for bikes, cars, taxis, trucks, busses,
and of course other people, especially those with Smart Phones!
This
brings me to death. Apparently one way
to die is to get hit by a bus. Of course
some commit suicide in this manner, but others simply don’t see it coming. On one level, despite the tragedy, it is
almost comical to think you can’t see a bus coming. Like, what does it take to wake us up to
danger? Would it be a useful to view the
street before you cross it? Has anyone
else noticed pedestrians hypnotized by their Smart Phones as they walk the
streets of New York?
A
friend told me of a sad tale where this very fit woman (an avid jogger) in her
early 60’s was accidently plowed down by someone on a bicycle who didn’t see
her. And she didn’t see him. He knocked her flat onto the asphalt and she
died on the spot. From fit and vital to
dead in a matter of seconds.
I
include this amusing but not amusing article, on ways to die. It may be a bit of overkill (I couldn’t
resist that pun) to include it at this point, but much of these can be avoided
by awareness, by paying attention.
Awareness
is an environment-friendly skill set. The
environment becomes you. You are it and
it is you. You don’t take it for
granted. You now see that bike or bus
barreling at you.
So
it is a mistake to think in tai chi you are learning “to be slow”. It’s a martial art and ultimately it can help
you not only be fast, but fast and accurate.
To learn this, it helps to slow down and observe more closely.
With
slowness, you are learning to be aware of the “insides” and the “outsides” of
who you are. You learn to relax, to be
open, to be interconnected, grounded, aware, pliable, structurally sound, responsive,
alert, integrated in your movement, connected to the environment.
I
might add that slowing down during pivotal times in your life cycle will also
create satisfaction, a better experience, greater ease and perhaps less
suffering.
Going
slow at times will let you savor what you are experiencing and learn from it.
It
will add quality to your living.
It
may add years of living to your life.
Is
it grand to say this is priceless?
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