Many years ago I read an excerpt from a book written by John Perkins who had or has a base in New Jersey where he taught martial arts and their mental requirements. I found it pretty relevant to everyday life. His specialty was preparing newly graduated police recruits for the real world of the streets. It wasn’t enough to learn from an academy but to also learn the down and out chaos of the real world.
During our challenging times of anger, chaos, fake news, aggressive and crazed humans, lies, corrupt officials, corrupt corporations and the other nasties in Pandora’s box, I find John Perkins mindset preparations genuinely helpful. I thought you might to. Please remember, if you want this society to improve, you will be required to become involved with improving it. The time has past for complaining and marching. A buildup of citizenry influence is necessary. Make your representative accountable to you and not to lobbyists, corporations and special interests. The unkind heavenly transits will keep painfully pushing us to do this over the next few years. Think and prepare like a warrior.
Here are a few of John’s valuable ideas:
Maintain a highly developed mind that possesses a well-grounded uncomplicated outlook. Key words here are “well-grounded” and “uncomplicated”.
Your mind must remain sharp and have the ability to cut through the clutter and quickly get to the heart of the matter. I remind you here to cut through the noise and listen to the signals. Right now people are fomenting.
The mind remains clear in chaos, trained to act with spontaneous deliberation. While others are trapped in fear, disharmony and depression, the Warrior has mastered the technique of “Guided Chaos”. Do not wring your hands or get trapped in your own anxieties. Have a plan for “what if?”
The mind is tough enough to withstand hardship, but flexible enough to quickly shift tactics to the rapidly changing conditions and fluid realities of combat. This is essential in today’s environment. What can you do in these uncertain times that will assist in your security? What should you now eliminate, get over, let go of, move towards etc.
The mind develops the ability to distill a situation down to its raw essence, without getting trapped in illusion, for all warfare is based upon deception. Read this again and again. You must learn to distill everything down and stop getting trapped in delusional thinking–yours or others.
The mind see things that others do not. It creates its own opportunities. Preparing for the worst, it sizes up the situation for what it is. If it requires an all-out assault, the warrior is prepared. If the option to pull back exists, only because it is prepared for the worst can it exercise that option. Please read this again.
The mind becomes resourceful within.
“Hope” is NOT a plan. Pinning your hopes on someone or something else to come to the rescue is not an option.
Survival entails personal tenacity and will. Immediate action is required. The SOONER you are able to change the way you view yourself, the sooner survival options will present themselves.
I think all of these mindsets are important. Remember you have the power. Know how to rise above the current experience and then rise about it. Get bigger in your mind than the experience. Transcend and think in a new way.
Very true. Thanks for commenting
Remember HOPE was in Pandora’s box with all the rest of the stuff. Thank you Gail, good to hear from you.
Indeed, we are endowed with the mind and the agency to save ourselves. If we can do this in selfless collaboration with one another, even better. Either way, the uncluttered mind knows the way.
I friend asked me today what would make me happy or happier today. It took me a long time to respond. Ultimately I said hope because I am bogged down with all of the terrible scenarios that exist in the world today and life is changing for me. I feel like I am drowning in them. Then out of the blue you send this message: hope is not a plan. WOW!!! WOW !!!!!