Edward Hays ~ Author, Artist & Storyteller
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Are You Ready?

6/25/2014

 

Are You Ready?


Dear old and new friends,

    The Chinese holy man Chuang Tzu tells a parable about an Emperor who sent a fighting rooster to be trained by a famous old fighting master. After two months, a court envoy arrived asking, “Is the Emperor’s bird ready?” “No,” replied the white-haired trainer. “He is fiery, wants to fight every bird he sees, but he’s not ready…come back later.” Three months pass, again an envoy came asking, “The Emperor enquires: Is not his bird finally ready? The old master replied, “Not yet! If he hears another cock crow, he flares up and ruffles his feathers threatening, but he’s not ready. Come back later.”

    Four months pass and the envoy comes again saying, “The Emperor is growing impatient, isn’t his fighting cock ready?” “Almost ready,” answers the old trainer, “yet he still gets furiously angry around other roosters. No, he isn’t ready, come back in ten days.” Ten days later, the Emperor himself comes. The old cock trainer makes a profound bow before him as he demands, “Is my bird finally ready?” Arising from his deep bow, the old cock master smiles, “Yes, now he is ready. When another bird crows loudly he doesn’t blink and stands still as if made of stone. Now when he walks into the yard the other birds take one look at him and run.”

    Chuang Tzu’s parable reminds me of the words of President Roosevelt’s wife about the silent strength and courage the Emperor’s fighting cock obtained.  Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…You (then) must do the thing you cannot do!” Whenever afraid, resist shying away from what is so frightening, and muster the courage to look what is feared directly in the face. Living in a country of reoccurring senseless gun violence asks the question: If you are unfortunately involved in the next massacre are you ready?

    Each week we hear of another horrendous shooting at a school or shopping mall. When as a nation we do nothing to stop or prevent this gun carnage, don’t we logically live in a country where anyone of us could be among the next victims? We must train ourselves to look that fear directly in the face again and again until we are ready. The United States doesn’t have more mentally disturbed citizens than other countries but it does permit the easy purchase of unlimited guns and ammunition. Countrywide gun violence and public killings creates dark anxiety about our personal and domestic security resulting in stores, aided by the gun industry’s propaganda, being busy selling guns to defend oneself and one’s home.

    When face to face with danger, instead of resorting to weapons or physical strength, Chuang Tzu teaches us to learn how to become inwardly strong and confident. Eleanor Roosevelt adds we should look whatever is frightening directly in the face again and again until we are ready to do the thing we think we cannot do.
Dan Sanley
6/27/2014 02:24:23 pm

Dear Ed,

Jesus said, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)

Elsewhere in the Bible we have similar warnings such is in 2 Samuel 2:26: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will end in bitterness?”

These words are ignored by those professing to be Christians; just as all the words of our Constitution are ignored by those professing to be Patriots. The wisdom of these documents is to be taken as a whole and not cherry picked for what suits self-promoted ideologies.
For those who claim that their Second Amendment rights are being violated, I say so are mine. The Second Amendment provides the right to a “well regulated militia”. (The term “militia” was extended by the Supreme Court to include other self protection). But the “Patriots” conveniently ignore the words “well regulated”, when there is any attempt to restrict weapons of war or to require background checks.

In fact we as citizens are seeing OUR Constitutional Rights trampled on when we do not regulate the proliferation of dangerous weapons, ammunition, and rapid delivery systems. Their ability to do massive damage and take a huge toll of human life is an affront to our right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. No one yet has been able to justify weapons of war being in the hands of ordinary citizens. It is madness, all for the sake of “my rights”. Conveniently forgotten, is that “with all rights, come responsibilities”.

So what is driving this madness? It is fear, just as both Chuang Tzu and Eleanor Roosevelt touch upon. They recommend that we become “inwardly strong and confident” and “directly face whatever is frightening”. I would expand on their reflections and suggest “how” this is done. As with most things, scripture has the answer. It is through love that we conquer fear. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

- Dan

Rudi Dietrich link
7/7/2014 12:55:23 pm

Dear Dan,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments on our need to defend and assert our "freedom". It seems to me there is so often a very violent ghost in us. What frightens me is the continuous use of violence to "set things right". Create instant followers of our ideas or wipe the b.. out. Also the fear seems to have many causes, greed, need for power, religiouis or political fanaticism and more.
Not being a born American but an alien coming from Austria your comments on our Constitution will make me read it again.
My comment is rather late, we had our 50th anniversary and almost that many years here, mostly in Montana.
Thanks from my heart for your comments. We can only hope and pray that our Nation will wake up soon.
your Rudi Dietrich


Comments are closed.


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