Meditating with the Masters

Haha that was so corny it's unreal. If you're here reading this, thank you! This is what went on for me this Unit:

I really enjoyed the "Meeting Aesclepius" exercise. Here is what my mentor looked like in my mind's eye. Have any of you seen the old show that used to come on Spike TV called Afro Samurai? Well he was kind of like that. I imagined this old, skinny man that was extremely muscular, just not in a body builder type way..like a Bruce Lee body or something. His hair was a dull grey, and he had a receding hairline. He was wearing a white, traditional Tae Kwon Do gi and had the sleeves rolled up. past his forearms. He was sitting cross legged in front of me, and I noticed (how do I "notice" something that I am imagining?) that he had on loose fitting black pants with no shoes or socks. His feet were also worn and calloused, showing years of training barefoot on various types of ground. He kept a slight smile on his face, and I knew in my head that this guy was the epitome of the peaceful warrior. I knew that he had all of the skill in the world, all of the wisdom, but what he chose to show everyone (or just me) was the calm, loving, yet disturbingly balanced and powerful quiet nature. When I was young and taking traditional martial arts, I had dreams of owning my own school, and being that super old sensei that was feared and highly respected. When my mind drifted, I would notice that he was still there, not having moved an inch. Haha I got IN TO this meditation didn't I?

By the end, I had decided that this old Master was truly the person that I wish to be in the "future"...and maybe I shall..maybe I shall.

In looking at the quote "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself", I believe that statement more than anything. I learned this early on as being a key principle in leadership. In the Marines, I would never, ever, ever make my Marines do anything that I hadn't or wasn't willing to do myself. It was because of this that my Marines didn't look at me as a guy who bossed them around, but as a man just as them; a man that would get dirty with them and not sit by on the sidelines and watch them do it. To lead another down a road that you have not traveled yourself makes you a liar to not only that person you are leading, but yourself. It's a shame that more people haven't realized this yet, and that they continue to deceive themselves on a daily basis.

Whew that was a lot. Thanks for reading. Have a great week.