Xavier on, not merely mindset, but mindfulness: knowing the situation and the human possibilities.
I borrow the term from the kind of Midwestern Buddhists I knew as a teen. While it may seem an odd group from whom to take lessons in combat awareness, consider that an avowedly non-violent individual has only situational awareness for defense; the survivors got that way by looking (and acting) many moves ahead, way farther than most people ever bother.
A vital part of being in the moment (and being around for the next one!) is understanding the shape of it and where it may go. This becomes extraordinarily clear on two wheels but it's always true. Carrying a weapon does not free you from the need to be here now; if there is a "magic talisman" that can aid your safety, it's between your ears.
When Xavier and Ram Dass both say so, walking up to it from completely different sides, there just might be something to it.
That was one trippy book.
ReplyDeleteI think I still have it somewhere in my library.
That's why Chess is such a great game of anticipation and thinking ahead.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. In my younger days in the military I thought I had good situational awareness. It wasn't until I'd been surprised and almost killed that I really did.
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