Tweet
I'm reproducing this from an old post of mine. I think the topic is worthy of its own thread, so I have converted it into an article.
Highs and Lows, Ups and Downs
We all have ups and downs. We had them before we learned chi kung. We have them now that we practice chi kung. A common problem in Shaolin Wahnam is that we tend to compare our current ups to our current downs. The relative distance between the ups and downs may stay the same, so we mistakenly think that we aren't making much progress. This is where my picture comes in. Pictures are worth a thousand words. This picture is not perfect, but I hope it gets my point across. Please see below.
Figure 1 represents the average ups and downs of life before Shaolin Chi Kung. Everyone is different, and the range between high and low will vary. Of course, real life is also much messier than a picture, with erratic bumps and dips and plateaus at different times, but let's stick to averages. The point of Fig. 1 is that, despite all the various highs and lows, the overall level stays roughly the same. The horizontal lines should make this quite clear.
Figure 2 shows life after beginning Shaolin Chi Kung practice. Once again, I feel the need to emphasize that everyone is different, and that real life is much more erratic. In Fig. 2, the relative range between the highs and lows doesn't change much. Chi Kung doesn't gives us higher highs while leaving us with the same lows. Nor does it eliminate the lows. What it does is raise the overall level of both.
Maintaining Perspective
If you look at Fig. 2, you can see that, without the horizontal lines, it can be difficult to see the progress, especially in the beginning. However, if you look carefully, you can see clear signs of progress. The high in the 3rd bump is slightly higher than the high in the 1st one. If you continue even further (i.e., continue practicing for a few years), the evidence is even clearer, but only if you look with perspective.
If you compare the high in the 8th bump to the one in the 6th bump, it will not seem like you are making much progress. This is where we need perspective. Instead of comparing your current state (the 8th bump) to the 6th bump, compare it to the 1st bump. Now we begin to see something remarkable. If you extend the line from your first high, you will see that it is slightly lower than your current low (the end of the final curve). This means that your current worst is better than your previous best. Now that is progress!
(Many thanks to my sihing, Dr. Lie, for teaching me this important lesson.)
Highs and Lows, Ups and Downs
We all have ups and downs. We had them before we learned chi kung. We have them now that we practice chi kung. A common problem in Shaolin Wahnam is that we tend to compare our current ups to our current downs. The relative distance between the ups and downs may stay the same, so we mistakenly think that we aren't making much progress. This is where my picture comes in. Pictures are worth a thousand words. This picture is not perfect, but I hope it gets my point across. Please see below.
Figure 1 represents the average ups and downs of life before Shaolin Chi Kung. Everyone is different, and the range between high and low will vary. Of course, real life is also much messier than a picture, with erratic bumps and dips and plateaus at different times, but let's stick to averages. The point of Fig. 1 is that, despite all the various highs and lows, the overall level stays roughly the same. The horizontal lines should make this quite clear.
Figure 2 shows life after beginning Shaolin Chi Kung practice. Once again, I feel the need to emphasize that everyone is different, and that real life is much more erratic. In Fig. 2, the relative range between the highs and lows doesn't change much. Chi Kung doesn't gives us higher highs while leaving us with the same lows. Nor does it eliminate the lows. What it does is raise the overall level of both.
Maintaining Perspective
If you look at Fig. 2, you can see that, without the horizontal lines, it can be difficult to see the progress, especially in the beginning. However, if you look carefully, you can see clear signs of progress. The high in the 3rd bump is slightly higher than the high in the 1st one. If you continue even further (i.e., continue practicing for a few years), the evidence is even clearer, but only if you look with perspective.
If you compare the high in the 8th bump to the one in the 6th bump, it will not seem like you are making much progress. This is where we need perspective. Instead of comparing your current state (the 8th bump) to the 6th bump, compare it to the 1st bump. Now we begin to see something remarkable. If you extend the line from your first high, you will see that it is slightly lower than your current low (the end of the final curve). This means that your current worst is better than your previous best. Now that is progress!
(Many thanks to my sihing, Dr. Lie, for teaching me this important lesson.)
]
Comment