On The Power Of Resistance
There’s a lot of talk about freedom these days… freedom of speech, from government regulations, from border control, from face masks etc.
Of course we all want to be free, to be our fullest selves, and to be happy!
And yet something almost immediately stops us doesn’t it, once we seem to have found that straight path to nirvana. A lack of purpose perhaps; or lack of direction; something to fight for, or to conquer.
Resistance is exactly that thing we all need, though we don’t always describe it that way. It could be your full time job you’re trying to do more efficiently, your family life you’d like to be more stress-free, your running training that lacks novelty or your diet that requires time and preparation you simply don’t have…
HYPOTHESIS: there will always be another question, another journey, to face, to look at and to do better… this is not a problem, but an inevitability.
D.T. Suzuki wrote a lot about Zen Buddhism throughout his life. Zen Mind, Beginners Mind is my favourite book of his, personally, and hits to the core of mindfulness and Zen unlike anything else I’ve read.
Enlightenment, as the great Suzuki (Zen master and one of the founding Fathers of Japanese Zen) explains, is impossible. It does not exist. There will always be another moment, another day, another challenge to enter.
And yet, as he ALSO emphasises, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to reach enlightenment! In every moment throughout our lives, time and time again, we should strive for transcendence, total inner peace and harmony. Life can not be lived otherwise.
It is not a choice even, but the law of nature. It is what it is.
Running away from our challenges rarely works (unless running away IS the challenge of course, then by all means go for it!). Instead, how does one CHOOSE for resistance, and decide consciously the battles he/she will face, and how to go about facing them?
2 Factor Testing
It is my experience that there are 2 factors required for a path to be meaningful for a person: 1) ‘difficulty’ and 2) ‘excitement’ / ‘inspiration’
Put simply, the things that give genuine value to our lives are (1) not easy and (2) super interesting!
After all, we’ve all had those weird hobbies that kept us up all night and filled our conversations with everyone for weeks on end. Those interests were rarely easy and yet definitely were exciting also!
So if you’re at a turning point in your life, looking to either run away or (alternatively) more deeply invest in a relationship, a project, or a new hobbie, etc, then ask yourself: Is it challenging me? And, does it give me energy, curiosity, inspiration to pursue it?
If both are a yes then COMMIT to the process! If not then perhaps consider choosing other pathways in your life.
David Goggins running the Moab 240 (a 240+ mile running race in the United States). Goggins has become famous for choosing the difficult path in life, time and time again, and helping others to embrace challenge day after day in order to grow and improve themselves. Check out his Instagram, or read his book ‘Can’t Hurt Me’, for plenty of no nonsense, action-based philosophy.
Considerations
Some people call David Goggins a psychopath, a deeply damaged human being, or simply an angry, unhappy person. I’ve been called similar things at times in my life.
Whether Goggins (or anyone else) is enlightened or has the RIGHT way or not, is irrelevant. It’s your life and your choice WHAT you do and HOW you do it. Choosing for Resistance will no doubt create Resistance too in others. That’s their problem, not yours, and their decision to face it or not.
Not every challenge is worth facing. Not every hill can be climbed. Some relationships are not meant to be ‘fixed’ or ‘continued’, just as I’ll probably never become a firefighter, a karate black-belt, Hollywood film director or professional ultra-runner, even though all of these pursuits I find interesting to some extent.
And yet the path of conscious choice, of lived action, and of purpose, is one always alive with senses, with learning and curiosity every step of the way, and is constantly meandering along the river of life.
Ignoring the path will only lead you back at the next inevitable corner…
So why not ‘choose your poison’, accept the unknown and make those exciting steps towards the places you’ve so far been resisting?
Monk is a chain of bouldering gyms, with 4 locations around the Netherlands. It’s become one of my happiest training grounds over the last year or so. I resist committing to being a member, however, as it invites more of a financial and time investment, even though I find the practice (and potential gains) both difficult and super inspiring!
For me that means: Strength Training; Spending money on Movement / Gym memberships; Performing live in front of audiences; Taking exciting weekends away; and watching more inspiring movies!
What will yours be? Write a list yourself, and send them to danieleagles4@gmail.com (I’m curious!)…
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