Humble punches
The shortest way to radically change perception of something one never tried is to actually experience it. That exactly happened to me in a boxing ring. For a full round, I tried to barely touch my trainer's elbow with my glove. Succeeded maybe once or twice. Felt I am ready to collapse of exhaustion.
I over appreciated offense and paid too little respect to body balance, movement and evasion. And definitely spent way too much time in my head.
DO. I never boxed in my life before this month. Can't remember being in a random fight, either. 2 years of karate trainings as a teenager was much more choreographed, orderly, nearly sterile. Punching bags and boxer's dance is something else.
So many parallels one can apply across most aspects of life. Things seem easier for a bystander. True mastery takes some skill and tons of intense work. Mindset is equally, if not more important than speed and muscles. While we can fight opponents, we mostly try to beat ourselves from a day before.
Swapping disciplines, we often go from hero to zero. Despite initial discomfort, I find this utterly humbling. It deconstructs ego and impedes arrogance. It provides a necessary perspective. Done well, it feeds on curiosity and builds respect for the paths not, or less travelled.
THINK. Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words, facing a work of art that is a quantum-like phenomenon - opens multiple intellectual and emotional doors that a linear expression fails to describe it? As humbling as the boxing experience has been so far, I more often face it when reading.
Hey, I cannot be the only person who had an insight of empathy machine, experiencing the world through somebody else! The internet is a bottomless pit of quotes and if one is not careful, it might take an entire day to finish a paragraph. The quote that resonated the most comes from a character in George R.R. Martin's 'Game of Thrones' saga:
'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one'.
But what if this turns out to be a life you never want to have?
Love of graphic novels is part of my geek-ness. I am in eternal search for volumes that leave me speechless. 'Blast' by Manu Larcenet is one of these. Set in contemporary (?) France, it tells a story of Polza, a one-time cookbook writer, who sets himself free from family connections, daily routines and rhythms of adult life to embrace the present in the wild nature and outside societal limits. An alcoholic, chronically obese, haunted by his upbringing and some tragic events, Polza embarks on a spiritual drift, interjected by random moments of transcendence - 'blasts'. As the story unfolds, woven around a police interview, in multiple retrospections, the reader gets drawn in by Polza's narrative.
There is an unspeakable beauty in some graphic panels. Crude, in shades of grey, they depict depth of experiences where a proverbial 1,000 words would be far from enough. Lines between truth and lie, reality and illusion, victim and perpetrator are utterly blurred. I found myself torn between the page-turning desire to unearth the 'whodunnit' and the need to pause. Contemplate how black and white lines form a shadow of emotion on a character's face. Interpret the change of weather at a riverbank.
'Blast' hits right between the eyes. A peek into the darkness. I was so relieved to come back to my ordinary life!
FEEL. When you are surrounded by empathetic, smart and kind people who genuinely wish you well and stand up for one another, this does not feel like work. I am lucky to be in such company with my peers. The spirit has been forming for some time, but it is not coincidental. Our annual meeting is a true highlight and a source of energy for the months to come.
There was a moment I will be using as anchor amidst any doubts. A session I was leading included one-to-one conversations on... facing hardships that seemed impossible at first. A few minutes in, I felt I could tune out sound completely and just watch the body language. I did not need to hear any words. Openness to one another, trust and empathy were very visceral. If only I could have bottled it up as an elixir of supportive team and share!
Expression of body never lies. Leaning on others is priceless.
