Fighting the Tiger (part2)

A Personal Journey

By: Rod Morin

When I got back outside Grandfather was nowhere in site so I started to make my way towards the centre of town. When I finally made it to the market I started to look for Grandfather. I was walking by stalls filled with all sorts of merchandise. There was hand thrown pottery, beautiful quilted blankets, hand carved musical instruments and then a particular stall caught my eye. I walked up to a rack that held a beautiful sword. I looked at it as if hypnotized. I was jerked back to reality by the stall owner who clapped me on the back and said’ “beautiful, isn’t it?” nodding towards the sword.

“It certainly is!” I said wholeheartedly.

“Well pick it up son, try it out,” he encouraged.

I slowly, carefully raised my hands to the sword. My fingertips traced the gold embossing of the teak handle and the innate carvings along the finely crafted metal blade. I gingerly picked the sword up and was instantly amazed at its balance. The blade felt feather light in my hand and seemed to be an extension of my arm and body. I began my sword forms right there in the market square. I was completely engrossed in the forms and could feel my energy extending out from the sword unlike any weapon I had used before. When I finished, I returned to the sword-master beaming with energy. He smiled a knowing smile and accepted the sword back. He gently placed it back on the beautifully carved rack and turned his attention back to me.

“Well son, it is a beautiful sword isn’t it?” he said expectantly.

“It is an amazing sword!” I replied. “You have created a piece of art by crafting that weapon. It felt like it was an extension of my body. It had no obstructions within its materials. I could tell that the intentions of the master that crafted the sword were focused and pure during its creation.”

The sword-master seemed pleased at the complement.

“Ah… you understand the intricacies of fashioning such a weapon,” he said smiling. “The success of any endeavour starts with the intention of the man. Then, if coupled with fine materials and focused attention, a master can give birth to such an entity.”

The sword-master looked me over again, seemingly trying to make up his mind about something.

“Would you have the sword for yourself?” he asked.

“Sir, I would be honoured to carry such a sword!” I replied.

The sword-master smiled. “The sword would be in good hands with you as its master,” he said. “I will sell my sword to you for 100 Yuan my son. I would charge anyone else 200 Yuan but I can see that you were meant to carry that sword.”

I was perplexed. “Master,” I said, “Why would you trade such a weapon which has been bestowed with such energy and craftsmanship for a stack of paper?” I asked.

The sword-master stopped smiling. “That is the amount of money I am asking in exchange for the sword,” he replied.

“I have no currency to exchange with you,” I said. “And even if I did, I would not.”

“Are you saying that my sword is not worth 100 Yuan?!” he exclaimed.

“The value of your masterpiece could never be matched by any amount of script printed by the thousands by the government,” I stated. “The currency you have asked for is worthless sir. It has no intrinsic value. Its value is only derived by the agreement of people who have been tricked into believing that it has worth.”

The sword-master calmed down and looked at me intently.

“I have never thought of it that way,” he said. “Your words are true. It is just paper isn’t it? How did you come to this realization?” he asked.

“I have learned through my practice of Taijiquan to become more aware and see the world clearly. I see past the beliefs held by the masses and unveil the actuality of my experiences.”

The sword-master was silent for some time. “I hear the truth in your words but I cannot truly accept them. The paper currency we use is what I know as valuable. It is what I can trade for food or shelter. Therefore it is what I would ask for in exchange for the sword.”

“Do you consider the time you spend with your family as valuable?” I asked

“Why of course I do! In fact I consider it extremely valuable because I rarely get to spend time with them. For as far back as I can remember it seems that I must work harder and longer just to keep ahead of the bills and taxes that I must pay,” he said with a look of despair.

“Then more paper is not what you need sir. It seems to me that you are rowing in an ever-widening circle and continuously fighting an unforgiving current. May I offer a different perspective and solution to your dilemma sir?” I inquired.

“Certainly, I am open to any suggestion that will make my life less troublesome and allow me more time with my family!” he exclaimed.

I looked at the sword-master with respect. He was a rare man. Any man that is aware enough to acknowledge that any persistent problem in life needs to be looked at from a different consciousness than which it was created from, is indeed a wise man.

“My suggestion is... though I do not have the skill of a master-craftsman, I do have the will and strength to perform any labour that is required to keep you business running smoothly. I will perform the manual labour that keeps you from your family and from the application of your true calling. The number of hours required to fashion the sword is the amount of hours I will trade for title to the sword,” I finished.

The sword-master thought about this and then started to smile. “That works for me! You have a deal! The sword is yours for 100 hours of your labour,” he stated. “I can’t wait to see the look on my daughters face when I tell her that we will now have time to read and play together!”

I confirmed within myself that I felt good about the offer and I accepted the deal. We shook hands to consummate the arrangement and he handed me the sword. I could tell by the way the sword-master was beaming that he was extremely happy and I was also very pleased with my new sword.

“Thank you son for allowing me to have time with my daughter and more importantly for showing me that perhaps there are different ways to look at a any given situation, perhaps leading to an ultimate solution to any particular problem. If not for you I could have continued to work 16 hours a day and never see my daughter,” he said.

“I am glad that you are flexible and responsive rather than rigid,” I said. “That mindset will allow many forms of blessing to enter your life,” I said with a smile.

We made arrangements for my “payment” and I left the sword-master, my new sword tethered to my back, off in search of Grandfather.

To be continued...