Today I was reminded on the lessons of the shaman, the teachings of the Jedi and the values of a teacher.
They share a common vision, common values and teachings, each which I found to be very meaningful.
The first is patience, taught by master to padawan, or from the spirit of the Earth. To be patient is to wait. But it is also to be able to know that things do not happen overnight. A patient man will not only wait, but enjoy the many fruits of his life journey. He is not irritated or frustrated if results do not show. A patient man is able to see what a man has achieved or lost even if on the surface, nothing seemed to have happened. Confucius once said, "It does not matter how fast you go in life, as long as you do not stop."
The second lesson is Perseverance, taught by the trainings of the Jedi or form the spirit of fire. Like the Jedi trainings and fire, Perseverance tests the will of mankind. For that, he must have mastered the first lesson. A man without patience would not persevere for he would give up easily. Perseverance is driven by the fire within the heart and soul of man, and enabled by the will and mind of the body. A person with perseverance is not one who does not give up, for giving up is a part of life. He focuses himself on his ultimate goal and changes strategies. Many heroes we see from television depict scenes where they push themselves against all odds. But those attempts seem easy to us. In fact, obstacles which we are less aware of require a greater sense of perseverance. Pain and problems are usually easily overcome as there is a point of focus. However, many other things such as distractions, peer pressure and temporal excitement and joy are much harder to overcome. This is because we as humans either perceive these things to be of lesser importance or lose our focus because of it. Hence the greatest person who can persevere is not the one who does not accept defeat, but the one who knows oneself and his limits sees defeat as a platform for greater focus.
The third lesson is flexibility and understanding. It is taught by the missions which the Jedi undertake or by the spirit of water. Flexibility is the extent is which we are able to bend our techniques such that they do not conflict with our values and the objective at hand. Most of the time, we must also take in to account the feelings and morals of others. This is where understanding comes in. A man without understanding is like a man who could be the last on Earth and it would not make a difference. With understanding we are able to weigh both sides of many issues and be able to rethink ideas when problems arise. When it comes to problems, many people usually just try to work out a deal, and one side usually has to give way. However, one thing that I have learnt from a book is that compromise is like taking one idea. Co-operation is like combing both ideas. And synergy is not just combining both, but taking the best qualities in each idea and making something new. (That's how 1+1 = 3 in terms of ideas). As you can see, this lesson is based on the idea of "think win-win". A person who is flexible and understanding would not only be able to think of better strategies, but learn from others how they can adopt certain good qualities and make themselves a new and improved person.
The fourth lesson is Association and open-mindedness. No student can excel form one teacher and this is taught after the Jedi graduates and knows about the dark side or from the spirit of Air. Even until today, many pieces of information and professions are different when come from different sources. Take martial arts for example. In China alone, there are hundreds of different styles of martial art. If a person is to excel in the profession, he or she is to be able to receive teachings from many teachers. However, this lesson would not be effective without the first 3 lessons already mastered. Without patience and perseverance, a man would just be a jack of all trades and master of none. He would be interested in one thing and then another. There would be no discipline to master the many aspects of each style if the person has no patience and is not willing to persevere. Without understanding and flexibility, the person would feel conflicted between when he or she has learnt and what is being taught. Understanding and flexibility is required to bring about Association among the various forms that a profession may take and the different professions itself. However, if someone has Association, he or she would find it easier to understand the many things around them. Hence there is a interdependency between these teachings. "The bird can only learn so much in a confined space, but if set free, it will soar."
The last lesson is Humility. Simple as it may sound, it is one of the most important and essential of teachings. Both the teacher and the student must be humble in their ways. Taught by the spirit of Life and the many Jedi Knights, this teaching enables us to learn. Without it, our arrogance will lead to ignorance. This cripples us in learning what we want as our own knowledge clouds the teachings of others. We will become selective and filter out what we deem as wrong or useless before giving it proper thought. Humility does not only mean accepting others, it is knowing and appreciating the gifts of others. The ability to see past your own envy and pride to accept that someone else knows more and learning from it. But like the other lessons, this one does not stand alone. In fact, this lesson cannot hold without the rest as the rest cannot hold with it. We cannot be open-minded if we are not humble, nor can we humble without having the perseverance to improve oneself. This lesson binds the others in a full circle, with each lesson part of a cycle of the other.
With this, I shall end here for now. I cannot say that these teachings must be written in stone or be followed word for word. It is just something I myself have learnt and hope that it may benefit others in their many adventures and endeavours in life. Of course, many of these teachings do not require drastic action. Like how we can change the world, we change ourselves to be better one small act at a time. Many of times it is the small things that people remember and matter to us. In this ever chaotic world, we need more people to be able to learn from each other. To be able to step up and understand each other. To have the perseverance to care for others even if they hurt you because we are all human. To have the open to others and ultimately to respect each other as individuals.
“May the force and the spirits be with you always”
