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Daily Reflection 2.18.21
Feb. 18th, 2021 09:31 amLet's move on Chapter 5 of the Art of War.
This bit of advice is common enough to be a cliche, but it's a cliche for good reason. You can accomplish any task you set yourself to, no matter how great, by dividing it into manageable pieces.
People who try to quit drinking or drug use are often given the refrain "One day at a time." And there's a good reason for this. If you're 25 and trying to stop using heroin, you have, assuming an ordinary human life expectancy, at least 50 years ahead of you. That's a lot of time to not use heroin! Try thinking of it in those terms, and you're very likely to give up. On the other hand, staying clean for one day is a much easier task; all you have to do is not use between now and the time your head hits the pillow tonight.
I think about this with parenting a lot. My youngest child is a year old. If I try thinking of the next 18 or 20 years, it can become very overwhelming, and I wonder how I can do it. And, well, of course it's overwhelming-- When I think in those terms, I'm trying to do kindergarten, elementary school, driver's license, first date, graduation, off to college, wouldn't you rather do a trade school, now you need a job, on and on and on-- all at once. The mind shuts down; it simply can't be done. On the other hand, I am more than capable of doing what I need to do for my kids where they're at right now, in this moment, this hour, for this day. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Martial arts have taught me this more than anything else. Years ago, when I attended my first taijiquan (tai chi) class, I was terrible. I mean honestly, sincerely bad. These days I can't even figure out how to replicate the movements I used to do, they were so uncoordinated, weird-looking, and physically painful. It would have been easy to compare myself to my instructors, notice the enormous gap between us, and give up. Instead-- for whatever reason-- I decided that I would be teachable, and believe that a modest amount of daily practice would lead to great improvement over time. And it has. I am not a master, but I am an instructor-- and believe me, you would not have thought that that was possible fi you'd seen me on Day 1, twisting about like some bizarre skeleton thing.
Finally, it's worth noting that Sun Tzu is referring specifically to the management of an army. Most of us are not now and will not be commanding large armies, but many of us may find ourselves leading groups of one sort or another, whether it's managing a team at work, moderating an internet forum, or teaching a class. Here the same rule can be applied. Break large and unmanageable groups down into smaller and more manageable groups, in the same way that you break large tasks into smaller and more manageable tasks. A simple idea-- but a very useful one!
Sun Tzu said: The control of a large force is the same in principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
This bit of advice is common enough to be a cliche, but it's a cliche for good reason. You can accomplish any task you set yourself to, no matter how great, by dividing it into manageable pieces.
People who try to quit drinking or drug use are often given the refrain "One day at a time." And there's a good reason for this. If you're 25 and trying to stop using heroin, you have, assuming an ordinary human life expectancy, at least 50 years ahead of you. That's a lot of time to not use heroin! Try thinking of it in those terms, and you're very likely to give up. On the other hand, staying clean for one day is a much easier task; all you have to do is not use between now and the time your head hits the pillow tonight.
I think about this with parenting a lot. My youngest child is a year old. If I try thinking of the next 18 or 20 years, it can become very overwhelming, and I wonder how I can do it. And, well, of course it's overwhelming-- When I think in those terms, I'm trying to do kindergarten, elementary school, driver's license, first date, graduation, off to college, wouldn't you rather do a trade school, now you need a job, on and on and on-- all at once. The mind shuts down; it simply can't be done. On the other hand, I am more than capable of doing what I need to do for my kids where they're at right now, in this moment, this hour, for this day. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
Martial arts have taught me this more than anything else. Years ago, when I attended my first taijiquan (tai chi) class, I was terrible. I mean honestly, sincerely bad. These days I can't even figure out how to replicate the movements I used to do, they were so uncoordinated, weird-looking, and physically painful. It would have been easy to compare myself to my instructors, notice the enormous gap between us, and give up. Instead-- for whatever reason-- I decided that I would be teachable, and believe that a modest amount of daily practice would lead to great improvement over time. And it has. I am not a master, but I am an instructor-- and believe me, you would not have thought that that was possible fi you'd seen me on Day 1, twisting about like some bizarre skeleton thing.
Finally, it's worth noting that Sun Tzu is referring specifically to the management of an army. Most of us are not now and will not be commanding large armies, but many of us may find ourselves leading groups of one sort or another, whether it's managing a team at work, moderating an internet forum, or teaching a class. Here the same rule can be applied. Break large and unmanageable groups down into smaller and more manageable groups, in the same way that you break large tasks into smaller and more manageable tasks. A simple idea-- but a very useful one!
