Miss G’s Aikido teacher said this thing during class that resonated with me-- how no one can take your power if you keep your center. Then he showed her how to flip him upside down just using her thumb and pinky finger, saying “See? All the power lies in taking someone else’s center.”
I watched that move, just two fingers, thinking about how one touch can throw you off course if it's planted right, thinking about balance and power.
I’ve been thinking a lot about guilt trips too, because all the nonsense rattling our windows lately reeks of it.
Guilt is one beefy slab of heavy artillery. In manipulative hands, hands which know exactly where to place those two fingers, you don’t realize you’ve lost until you’re upside down.
But if you know how to spin out of that hold, if you maintain balance even in motion, your opponent is forced off-center to reach after you. They no longer have leverage; you kept your center. An off-center person will never overcome a centered person.
In Aikido, you don’t learn to attack. It’s all defensive. You learn protection. You learn to escape. And you learn that this knowledge renders your opponent powerless just as surely as that Karate Kid crane kick.
Understand this, and you unlock a new world.
If guilt is the grasping thing dragging you back, and you can’t for the life of you figure out how to fight against it, remember that getting away counts as winning. And against guilt, you only need one move: refusal.
Refuse to feel guilty. Refuse to take it personally. Refuse to feel like a bad person for sticking to your guns. Guilt is something we impose on ourselves. No one can make you feel guilty without your consent.
Successful manipulators depend on your reluctance to be the bad guy. They’re counting on you to do the right thing, so they don’t have to. Your integrity is the spinny wheel that keeps the pieces moving around the board.
You can choose not to play their game. You don’t have to feel guilty. They can make you try-- whoever your “they” is (are?)-- but they only succeed with your permission.
Next time someone hurls that crap at you, remember your participation is necessary to their success. They don’t want what’s best. They want what’s best for them.
Keep your center, and no one can take your power.
I watched that move, just two fingers, thinking about how one touch can throw you off course if it's planted right, thinking about balance and power.
I’ve been thinking a lot about guilt trips too, because all the nonsense rattling our windows lately reeks of it.
Guilt is one beefy slab of heavy artillery. In manipulative hands, hands which know exactly where to place those two fingers, you don’t realize you’ve lost until you’re upside down.
But if you know how to spin out of that hold, if you maintain balance even in motion, your opponent is forced off-center to reach after you. They no longer have leverage; you kept your center. An off-center person will never overcome a centered person.
In Aikido, you don’t learn to attack. It’s all defensive. You learn protection. You learn to escape. And you learn that this knowledge renders your opponent powerless just as surely as that Karate Kid crane kick.
Understand this, and you unlock a new world.
If guilt is the grasping thing dragging you back, and you can’t for the life of you figure out how to fight against it, remember that getting away counts as winning. And against guilt, you only need one move: refusal.
Refuse to feel guilty. Refuse to take it personally. Refuse to feel like a bad person for sticking to your guns. Guilt is something we impose on ourselves. No one can make you feel guilty without your consent.
Successful manipulators depend on your reluctance to be the bad guy. They’re counting on you to do the right thing, so they don’t have to. Your integrity is the spinny wheel that keeps the pieces moving around the board.
You can choose not to play their game. You don’t have to feel guilty. They can make you try-- whoever your “they” is (are?)-- but they only succeed with your permission.
Next time someone hurls that crap at you, remember your participation is necessary to their success. They don’t want what’s best. They want what’s best for them.
Keep your center, and no one can take your power.
More help defeating guilt:
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn RandEmotional Blackmail by Susan ForwardDivorce Poison by Dr Richard A WarshakJonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
VERY well said, and great post. :)
ReplyDelete@Julianna Whew! I wrote this thing like 32 times, and still felt like it didn't make sense to anyone but me ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic. <3
ReplyDelete@PinkAmy Thanks, Amy :)
ReplyDelete