Tolerance and Flexibility

Living humans are soft and limber.

Dead they are hard and rigid.

Living, the 10,000 grasses and wood species are soft and crisp.

Dead, they are withered and tough.

So "hard" and "rigid" accompany death.

"Soft" and "limber" accompany life.

So if armies are coercive, they do not triumph.

When wood is strong, the axe comes out.

Strength and dominance reside below.

The soft and limber belong higher.

- Lao Tzu

When the river swells and floods with the rain it rises onto the banks and clears what is dead and unyielding into its current. That which is alive bends and flows holding its rightful place and working with the current until the waters subside. This is the way of water and wood.

When anger and fear are stuck and unyielding it is consumed by the flow and taken out of balance. We rely on our culture and heritage to maintain the balance. This is the way of people. When the cultural energy is weakened by materialism and politics, it is not strong enough to stay alive in the face of challenges. Our country is experiencing this right now.

I encourage everyone to use their Qigong and meditation to heal our culture. Send positive messages and energy to all our people to stay tolerant and flexible so they can hold their place in the rising waters and create something new and life affirming. The Qi flows where the mind goes. What are your thoughts?