Circumstances
Have you ever thought about something which might happen? How you might react to it? How you would handle it? What you would think, do, say if it ever happened? How you would feel? You know it's a possibility. The strange thing is, no matter how much you think about it, you never really know. That is, until you are faced with the situation.
There are professions which are oriented around that paradigm. Soldiers are a good example. Basic training, combat training, and the rest are geared towards programming someone to react in a given way to a given set of circumstances. Yet, with all the training, there is still the soldier that will freeze in a combat situation. Let's face it, simulation isn't real life.
The concept can be applied to more ethereal concepts. How does one feel about abortion? Murder with cause? Assisted suicide? The death of a loved one? Lust vs love? Infidelity?
Let's face it. It's easy to be an arm-chair quarterback. It's easy to look at a situation from the outside, and give an objective opinion. Once you become involved, it becomes more complex. It's easy to say, "Ifhappens, I'll be ok with it." "If happens, I'd do this." But, until actually happens (or looks like it's going to happen) to you, there's simply know way to know.
So, what to do about such a situation? I'm not really sure. Imho, there's no real way to be sure, until the metal hits the meat.
Situations...
When I split with my Ex, I had decided a couple things. I knew that I would want another relationship. Life is too much fun to be alone. Rather, I think it's more fun to share it with someone.
Yet, at the same time, I also knew I wouldn't be getting emotionally involved. In fact, I have never really been emotionally involved. I mean, I have to an extent. But there has always been a part of me that was removed from the situation. Some part of me that was apart enough to allow me the ability to disconnect. I never thought I'd give that up, yet I have. It's been a good thing. Truly.
When it came to treating patients, I was excellent in the field. There wasn't a situation that could be thrown at me that would rattle me. I always responded as my training dictated. Unless, of course, I knew the training hadn't fully prepared me. Then, I'd come up with my own solution. Still, I was never rattled.
Circumstances
So. Why the difference? I think it's a matter of emotional involvement. And, I think there's something more to it: Circumstances matter. It's never possible to anticipate all the factors surrounding a given situation. The circumstances change, affect things, make a difference. It's up to you to decide how the circumstances affect a situation. More to the point, it's up to you to decide how you will react.
One of my favorite television shows is Battlestar Galactica. There's a scene in BSG, in which the one of the leads, Cmdr. Adama, is talking about an incident. They had ordered a large civilian ship destroyed. There was good cause for the order. He summed it up by saying he hoped his superior would understand that circumstances matter."
There's a situation that's been on my mind. How I thought I'd react, and how I actually did react are two completely different things. The differences aren't bad, they're just, well, different. I think the difference in my reaction is that the circumstances changed. That is to say, what I thought the circumstances would be, weren't. Again, circumstances matter.
So what's the point?
That's one of the things I think that Taoism tries to teach. Keep an open mind. Preconceived notions can screw you. You also have to recognize that circumstances change. How they change can dramatically affect how you respond to a situation.
On the flip-side. When people don't react the way you think they should, consider the circumstances of their situation. It's easy to judge, because you weren't involved. It's the involvement that makes all the difference.
There are professions which are oriented around that paradigm. Soldiers are a good example. Basic training, combat training, and the rest are geared towards programming someone to react in a given way to a given set of circumstances. Yet, with all the training, there is still the soldier that will freeze in a combat situation. Let's face it, simulation isn't real life.
The concept can be applied to more ethereal concepts. How does one feel about abortion? Murder with cause? Assisted suicide? The death of a loved one? Lust vs love? Infidelity?
Let's face it. It's easy to be an arm-chair quarterback. It's easy to look at a situation from the outside, and give an objective opinion. Once you become involved, it becomes more complex. It's easy to say, "If
So, what to do about such a situation? I'm not really sure. Imho, there's no real way to be sure, until the metal hits the meat.
Situations...
When I split with my Ex, I had decided a couple things. I knew that I would want another relationship. Life is too much fun to be alone. Rather, I think it's more fun to share it with someone.
Yet, at the same time, I also knew I wouldn't be getting emotionally involved. In fact, I have never really been emotionally involved. I mean, I have to an extent. But there has always been a part of me that was removed from the situation. Some part of me that was apart enough to allow me the ability to disconnect. I never thought I'd give that up, yet I have. It's been a good thing. Truly.
When it came to treating patients, I was excellent in the field. There wasn't a situation that could be thrown at me that would rattle me. I always responded as my training dictated. Unless, of course, I knew the training hadn't fully prepared me. Then, I'd come up with my own solution. Still, I was never rattled.
Circumstances
So. Why the difference? I think it's a matter of emotional involvement. And, I think there's something more to it: Circumstances matter. It's never possible to anticipate all the factors surrounding a given situation. The circumstances change, affect things, make a difference. It's up to you to decide how the circumstances affect a situation. More to the point, it's up to you to decide how you will react.
One of my favorite television shows is Battlestar Galactica. There's a scene in BSG, in which the one of the leads, Cmdr. Adama, is talking about an incident. They had ordered a large civilian ship destroyed. There was good cause for the order. He summed it up by saying he hoped his superior would understand that circumstances matter."
There's a situation that's been on my mind. How I thought I'd react, and how I actually did react are two completely different things. The differences aren't bad, they're just, well, different. I think the difference in my reaction is that the circumstances changed. That is to say, what I thought the circumstances would be, weren't. Again, circumstances matter.
So what's the point?
That's one of the things I think that Taoism tries to teach. Keep an open mind. Preconceived notions can screw you. You also have to recognize that circumstances change. How they change can dramatically affect how you respond to a situation.
On the flip-side. When people don't react the way you think they should, consider the circumstances of their situation. It's easy to judge, because you weren't involved. It's the involvement that makes all the difference.
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