Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Power and the right to wield it

Two sides of the same coin, when it comes to the question of wielding
power:
1. Can you do it?
2. Should you do it?

While they are not mutually exclusive, they're not always inclusive
either. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
Just because you should do something doesn't mean you can.

One is a question of ability.

Can you do it? Are you physically capable of performing a feat? Are
you able to perform that action without fear of reprisal?

The other is a question of judgement and morality.

If you perform said action, what is likely to happen? Is it morally
and ethically right to do it?

In the end, just because you can do something, doesn't mean you
should.

Thursday, January 10, 2002

Walls

Do you ever get the feeling that no matter how much you push and push,
the walls that surround you won't give in?

Inevitability.

That's what it's all about. The french say "c'est la vie".
Americans proclaim "shit happens". Axl Rose proclaimed
"welcome to the jungle".

The immovable object.

Frustration eats at you from the inside. It's a force of self-defeat.
Much like the serpent that swallows its own tail. Evil feeds on
itself. Frustration feeds on you, its ironic origin.

So now what?

You push and push and push...

...and nothing gives.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, right?
Wrong. It's a straight line only if that line can be traversed.

Don't push.

Many of the martial arts advocate circular movements. You don't meet
force with force. You absorb. You redirect. You avoid.

Go around the wall.