LAW 8, PASSIVE AGGRESSORS & FORBEARANCE (MORE GREATNESS)

 
LAW 8

The essence of power is the ability to keep the initiative,
to get others to react to your moves,
to keep your opponent and those around you on the defensive.
When you make other people come to you,
you suddenly become the one controlling the situation.

If your trap is attractive enough,
the turbulence of your enemies emotions
and desires will blind them to reality.

Good warriors make others come to them,
and do not go to others.
You make your enemy respond on your terms.


When I have laid bait for deer,
I don't shoot at the first doe that comes to sniff,
but wait until the whole herd has gathered around.
Otto von Bismark, 1815 - 1898

PASSIVE AGGRESSORS

These types are masters at disguise.

They present themselves as weak and helpless,

or highly moral and righteous, or friendly and ingratiating.

This makes them hard to pick out at first glance.

They send all kinds of mixed signals--alternating between friendly,

cool, and hostile--creating confusion and conflicting emotions.

If you try to call them on their behavior,

they use this confusion to make you feel guilty,

as if you were the one who was the source of the problem.

Once you are drawn into their dramas, with emotions engaged,

it can be very difficult to detach yourself.

The key is recognizing them in time to take appropriate action.

With Passive Aggressors you must not get emotional

and drawn into their endless intrigues.

The only way to treat these types

is to take bold, uncompromising action that either

discourages further nonsense or sends them running away.

They respond only to power and leverage.

They see there will be real consequences if

they continue their behavior in any form.

To recognize such types, look for extremes in behavior

that are not natural--too kind, too ingratiating, too moral.

These are likely disguises that are worn to deflect

attention from their true nature.

FORBEARANCE

Forbearance is to wait patiently--no rush, no anxiety--

a simple, joyful holding back of what is due.

I was a warrior. I knew that I was waiting for.

Right there is the great joy of warriorship.

Forbearance means holding back with the spirit something that

the warrior knows is rightfully due.

It doesn't mean that a warrior goes around plotting to do

anybody mischief, or planning to settle past scores--as long

as the warrior has control, discipline, and timing, forbearance assures

giving whatever is due to whoever deserves it.

To act in anger, without control and discipline, to have forbearance,

is to be defeated. "What happens after warriors are defeated?"

They either regroup themselves or they abandon the quest for

knowledge and join the ranks of the petty tyrants of life.

Draft from 12.22.09

AN ARISTOTELIAN VIEW of the MARTIAL ARTS

By CHARLES H. HACKNEY, PH.D.

How do we describe our involvement in the martial arts? Are the martial arts an activity that we do ("I do jujutsu three times a week.")? Are they something that we are ("I'm a kickboxer.")? Are the martial arts a subject that we study (I study Goju-Ryu karate.")? Possibilities like these all seem to capture something true, but none are entirely accurate by themselves. The martial arts certainly require active participation, so they are something that we do. But participation in the martial arts involves greater depth than what one might find in activities like bowling or swimming, so saying that we "do" martial arts is an imperfect description. A common theme in the martial arts is the transformation of character that occurs during training, resulting in the forging of a new identity (e.g., Hoban, 1988).

This descriptive ambiguity connects to an underlying ambiguity concerning the martial arts themselves. What exactly are they? Are they sports? Self-defense training? Historical reenactment? Hobbies? Paths to spiritual growth? All of the above? Are some specific martial arts only sports while others are only spiritual paths? For some, their experience of the martial arts might fall into only one of these categories. But for those of use who have made the martial arts more than just "something fun I do two nights a week," it can be difficult understanding and explaining the role that the martial arts play in our lives.

The martial arts literature also reflects this ambiguity. Dave Lowry (1985), for example, describes martial artist as "living antiques," preserving a beautiful cultural tradition and keeping a particular kind of warrior spirit alive through the generations.

The philosophical perspective offered by Alasdair MacIntyre's neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics provides a useful conceptual framework, becoming an effective fighter, having fun making friends, growing spiritually, and becoming a person of good moral character are not only compatible in the martial arts; they are mutually-supportive.

The neo-Aristotelian approach is teleological in nature, taken from the Greek word telos. The word telos is translated as "end," "goal," or "purpose," and it is the answer to questions such as "what is this object for?", or "what does it do?". The telos of a clock is to tell time. The telos of a wolf is to hunt  as a member of a pack. The telos of an apple tree is to produce apples. A description of the telos of an object also provides a standard for describing that object as being good or bad. A good object fulfills its telos well. A good clock keeps time accurately. A good wolf cooperates with the pack. A good apple produces many healthy apples.

Though alternate descriptions of the telos may compete for our acceptance, those who hold to teleological form of ethics all agree that the best life is one spent progressing toward the telos as a developmental goal, and that the ideal person is one who is able to fulfill the telos. Within the Aristotelian approach, eudaimonia is the term employed for the "good life" (the life spent becoming better able to fulfill the telos).

Further, by becoming a better human being, the martial artist is being cultivated into a person who is better equipped to perceive and pursue the overall human telos. Liu (2003) discusses his experience as a practioner of aikido in the context of the human pursuit of meaning. Hatsumi (1998) connects his practice of ninjutsu to the pursuit of universal righteousness and enlightenment. In fact, the idea of spiritual growth through martial training is found in almost all cultures that developed martial arts (Maliszewski, 1996).

What makes an activity a eudaimonic practice, rather than an enjoyable way to fill one's time, is the fact that cultivating the qualities of excellence within the practice is connected to becoming a more mature human being.

At every level, the martial artist is not only someone who fights well, but also someone who functions well in their relationships and social roles, and someone who is engaged in the process of becoming a better person. As such, the various ideas that have been put forward about what the martial arts are, and what a good martial artist should be, each find a place as components of this eudaimonic perspective. When understood in this way, there is no conflict between describing the meaning of the martial arts as a system of combat, a method of cultural expression, or a spiritual path; the same virtues that empower one empower the others.

VOLUME 18 ~ NUMBER 4 ~ 2009  
Hackney, C. "The Aristotelian philosophy of the martial arts”

SIGNIFICANCE OF SOAP IN THE MECHALITH HOUSEHOLD

To arrive at this inwardness is was necessary to reverse all self-seeking and cultivate perfect cleanliness of thought and body. Pure spirit can be known only in a life that is "garneshed and swept." Only where all is clean will it reveal itself.

-HUSTON SMITH ON TAOISM

MY CURRENT "SOAPS"

DOVE MEN CARE - DEEP CLEAN 

DOVE MEN CARE - EXTRA FRESH

DIAL CRANBERRY & ANTIOXIDANTS

DOVE GO FRESH

DIAL ANTIBACTERIAL

LEMONGRASS LIQUID HAND SOAP

WHITE TEA LIQUID HAND SOAP

AXE BODY WASH

SUAVE MEN SHAMPOO

TRESEMME SMOOTH

MOVIELINK VIDEOS: A PERFECT GETAWAY / JENIFFER'S BODY

New release day is Tuesday.
So, I rent on Tuesday rather than Friday
-a departure from the OR. way.
Last night I rented and downloaded into Movielink,
A Perfect Getaway and Jennifer's Body.

A PERFECT GETAWAY

UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT

The New York Times gave the film 80% and referred to it
as a "genuinely satisfying cheap thrill".

Ultraviolet starring Milla Jovovich was one of the first dvds
I ever bought, and she also looks like an old GF.


JENNIFER'S BODY

Film critic Robert Ebert enjoyed the film, dubbing it a "Twilight for boys" and saying "as a movie about a flesh-eating cheerleader, it's better than it has to be^." This isn't your assembly-line teen horror thriller." Additionally, he complimented Fox as "coming through" in her portrayal and "playing the role straight."

I saw the book at Borders around the time it came out,

and I owned the album which includes the song by Courtney Love's

band Hole, of which the title derives its name from.

The song Violet from the album, that plays at the end of the movie

was the first "rock" song that I ever REALLY got into.

It spoke to what I was experiencing

in my relationships with Oregon women
[er, if that's what u call them].

(at least until I savvied up and took control):

And the sky was made of amethyst
and all the stars look just like little fish
you should learn when to go
you should learn how to say no

when they get what they want 

they never want it again
when they get what they want 

they never want it again

go on, take everything, 

take everything 

i want you to
go on, take everything

take everything 

i want you to

And the sky was all violet 
I want it again, 

but more violet, more violet
hey, i'm the one with no soul
one above and one below

might last a day yeah
mine is forever
might last a day, yeah
well mine is forever

go on, take everything 

take everything 

take everything 

i want you to

i told you from the start 

just how this would end
when i get what i want 

i never want it again

Who signed off on the movement of adolescent evil
& frenemies?? And, why didn't they inform them,
that those who had been darkened by them
and lost love to them--would come back
empowered to kill them for it?
(Grrrowl....)

...go on, take everything, 

take everything, 

take everything 

i want you to.

ARTIST DATE: BLOOD - THE LAST VAMPIRE (12.24.09)

Dope images. Crap movie.

A poor rip off of BLADE...Blade, Blood, Blade....Blood..,

and also comes off as the Japanese version of Underworld.

The film received generally negative reviews from American critics^.  

Variety's Peter Debruge was critical of editor Marco Cave for 

"reducing all but one of the fight scenes into a flurry of cuts", 

and described the CG effects as "herky-jerky."

Commenting on the direction, he says, 

"Nahon gives privilege to surface appeal and kinetic energy 

over narrative logic, and finesses the footage with an unpleasant 

yellow tinge that gives everything a vintage chopsocky feel".

-Personally, it sucked so bad we didn't finish it.

The character Sharon is played by 
Masiela Lusha formerly of the George Lopez Show.

The DAILY NIETZSCHE: HE WHO WILL TEACH MEN TO FLY

My Stomach--is it not an eagle's stomach?...

(Certainly you can see that my gut feels with 

a flawless and long-eyed perception).

And above all, I am an enemy of the spirit

of INERTIA, ..a sworn enemy, archenemy, primordial enemy.

Oh, where has my enmity flown and misflown in the past?

Of that I could well sing a song--and will sing it, although

I am alone in an empty house and must sing it to my own ears.

There are other singers, of course,

whose throats are made mellow,

whose hands are made talkative,

whose eyes are made expressive,

whose hearts are awakened,

-only by a packed house.

But I am not like those.

He who will one day teach men how to fly

will have moved all boundary stones.

The boundary stones themselves will fly up into

the air before him;

And he will rebaptize the whole earth--"lightweight."

FROM THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA
A BOOK FOR ALL AND NONE
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

BOOK / ITEM ARRIVALS FOR THE WEEK (12.20.09 - 12.26.09)

THE GODDESS TAROT

Drawing inspiration from goddesses honored throughout history,

award-winning author and artist Kris Waldherr has created an essential

tool for empowerment and transformation for women everywhere.

The Goddess Tarot uses goddess stories and imagery to update

traditional tarot symbolism, addressing women's contemporary needs.

HIDDEN PLACE DVD

"Hidden Place" is the lead track from Bjork's album Vespertine,

and this DVD single is a perfect companion piece to the album.

The disc features the hypnotic video for "Hidden Place,"

further evidence of Bjork's visual genius,

plus two songs not found on Vespertine: "Generous Palmstroke"

and "Verandi."

FINDING FORRESTER DVD

From Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant

and starring Academy Award-winning actor Sean Connery,

Finding Forrester is an uplifting story about a unique relationship

between an eccentric, reclusive novelist and a young, amazingly

gifted scholar-athlete (Rob Brown).

After the novelist discovers that the young athlete is also an excellent

writer and secretly takes him on as his protege, they develop an

unlikely friendship and defy the assumptions they initially made

about one another. But when the integrity of their friendship is

tested, it comes down to a moment of truth for both men:

for Jamal, a choice between following his dream or betraying 

a friend, and for Forrester, a decision to remain closed off or

to look at the world through new eyes.

BLACK BELT MAGAZINE



Moni Aizik presents the Commando Krav Maga guide to street survival, 
essential reading for all students of reality-based self-defense.
LIFE LIST, PART 2:
Here are 25 more martial arts destinations for training and sightseeing.
DESTINED TO LEAD:
Read how Black Belt Hall of Fame member Leo Fong
helped bring boxing into Bruce Lee’s life. 
WAY OF THE WARRIOR:
Keith Vargo says the aphorism “art is what you can get away with”
applies as much to the martial arts as it does to the fine arts.
KNOCKOUT NUTRITION:
High-level training requires the latest in dietary know-how.


JOURNAL OF ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS

VOLUME 18 ~ NUMBER 4 ~ 2009 

• Hackney, C. "The Aristotelian philosophy of the martial arts”
• Hopkins, G. "Kata & bunkai: A study in theme and variations in karate’s solo practice routines”
• Cartmell, T. "Throwing techniques in the internal martial arts: An elucidation of the guiding principle of 'sticking and following'"
• Bryant, A. “Eishin-ryu’s poetic tradition for transmitting secrets of swordmanship” 
  

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW 
ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS

"Should be required reading for anyone planning or 
enduring a career in the biz." -Rolling Stone

Donald S. Passman is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of

the University of Texas and a cum laude graduate of

Harvard Law School.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and four children,

and practices law with the firm of Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown.

He has specialized intensively in the music business

for more than twenty years.

His clients include major entertainers, publishers,

record companies, songwriters, industry executives,

film companies, managers, producers, and other

participants in the music industry.

www.heromechalithmillennium.blogspot.com/

THE DAILY NIETZSCHE: GREAT MEN + ADDENDA

GREAT MEN

Great men, like great ages, are explosives

in which a tremendous force is stored up;

their precondition is always, historically and physiologically,

is that for a long time much has been gathered,

stored up, saved up, and conserved in them-- and

there has been no explosion for a long time.

Once the tension in the mass has become too great,

then the most accidental stimulus suffices to summon

into the world the "genius," the "deed," the great destiny of them.

Great men are necessary, the age in which they appear

is accidental; that they almost always become masters

over their age is only because they are stronger, because

they are older, because for a longer time much was gathered

in them.

The relationship between a genius and his age is like that

between strong and weak, or between old and young:

the age is relatively always much younger, thinner, more

immature, less assured, more childish.

TWILIGHT OF THE IDOLS
or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1888



ADDENDA & EXTRA APROPO THOUGHTS


 

"We have nothing to discuss about la Gorda or anybody else," he said. 

"I told her that just to provoke her enormous self-importance.

And it worked. She is furious with us. If I know her, 
by now she will have talked to herself long enough 
to have built up her confidence, and her righteous indignation 
at having been refused and made to look like a fool. 
I wouldn't be surprised if she barges in on us here,

at the park bench."

Half-complaining, I told him that he had made me feel very

uncomfortable by refusing to talk to me for the past two days.

He looked at me and arched his eyebrows. A smile played on his 

lips and vanished.

I realized he was letting me know I was no better than la Gorda.

"I was provoking your self-importance," he said with a frown. 

"Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it --what

weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our

FELLOW MEN. 

Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives

offended by someone.

The new seers (pre-spanish conquistador toltecs of meso-america) 

recommended that every effort should be made to eradicate

self-importance from the lives of warriors. I have followed 

that recommendation, and much of my endeavors with 

you has been geared to show you that without 

self-importance we are invulnerable."

Carlos Castaneda
The Fire From Within




"I don't really think she wanted me back then,
but she want my now, she can play games
all she want, she cannot pretend,
she like my style..."

You want me? I want you...
I'm infinitely special girl
the Lord's gonna bless you if 
you do what I tell you to do.
You want me? I want you...
You should want me like you want success
Girl with us together we'll be better than the best
Why settle for less?

-Curtis James Jackson III 
I GOT SWAG: BEFORE I SELF DESTRUCT
My Ipod / Mixpod Playlist 12/09

DALLAS MAVERICKS (2) vs. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (7)

I am going to see Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center.
Anyone care to join me?

CIRCLE OF EIGHT (using MOVIELINK)

Circle of Eight, Paramount Digital Entertainment’s (PDE)

original supernatural thriller, produced in association with

Mountain Dew's Green Label Studios,

hence the glowing green color palette for the movie poster. 

I rented and watched Circle of Eight last night using

Movielink from Blockbuster On Demand.

Movielink is a web-based video on demand (VOD) and

electronic sell-through (EST) service offering movies,

TV shows and other videos for rental or purchase.

 

Synopsis:

Jessica, a newcomer to the City of Angels, has just moved into a loft

on the eighth floor of The Dante, a historic and eerie

downtown building filled with a friendly mix

of twenty-something neighbors:

Ed, the overly protective building manager;

Randall, a creepy peeping tom with a video camera;

sexy India; boy toy Damon; earthy Elaine;

childish Bale; and Evan, the hot, brooding artist with a terrible secret to reveal.

They're eager to welcome her into their bohemian world. Or are they?

As Jessica races to unravel the mystery behind a chain

of horrifying deaths that only she seems to see,

she'll come face-to-face with the chilling truth

behind her connection to The Dante.

The Real Plot:

Jessica is in Hell, and doesn't know it (like when I was in Oregon).

She is destined to relive a recurring waking "dream" of 

moving into the Dante until she makes a self-sacrificing choice; 

one that will save the lives of all who live there except Evan 

-the brother that she allowed to die in an act of 

self-preservation while still alive. 


CHECK OUT OTHER SHARED ITEMS ON MY GOOGLE READER


http://www.google.com/reader/shared/hero.mechalith

THE VILLAGE TEA COMPANY ...Brought to me by Becca

The Village Tea Company is located in

the Preston Forrest Shopping Center,

directly across the street from Becca's second workplace.

Knowing my passion for tea, she brought the place

to my knowledge and we went there last Tuesday.

She explained that she's never known anyone who

drinks tea like I do; it being such an 'English' thing (Lol).

And then I explained to her that tea, is a Chinese thing;

the English got it from the Orient.

-And in Asia, ...it's a part of life.

Below are pics taken with

my iPhone from that visit:

214-377-0054
11661 Preston Road, Suite 210, Dallas TX, 75230
http://www.villageteaco.com/home/

The equivalent in Portland is the Tao of Tea Teahouse
at 3430 SE Belmont Street est. 1997

ARTIST DATE: THE EMPEROR & THE ASSASSIN

-The stories of HERO, and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER combined:

In the 3rd Century BC, Ying Zheng, heir to the Kingdom of Qin, seeks to dominate the remaining six Chinese kingdoms. Ying sends his concubine Zhao (Gong Li) to the Kingdom of Yan as a spy, to enlist a Yan assassin to attempt to kill Ying. The assassination attempt is to be used as a basis to start war with the Yan. Zhao persuades Yan assassin Jing Ke, to perform the assassination. However, Zhao falls in love with Jing Ke, and after witnessing the aftermath of Ying's bloody massacre of the children in her home state, the Kingdom of Zhao, takes allegiance with the Yan and helps them try to kill Ying. The assassination attempt fails, but Ying is disgraced as none of his associates attempt to stop the assassin and he is forced to kill Jing himself. Ying's disgrace is completed when Zhao, Ying's former love, comes back to Qin only to take the dead body of Jing Ke back with her to Yan so as to give him a proper burial.

The Emperor and the Assassin won the Technical Grand Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and was in competition for the Palme d'Or. Zhao Fei was awarded the 1999 Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography.

Release date(s):
October 8, 1998
December 17, 1999
July 21, 2000