Detachment and wise old man

Lecture



Not so long ago, I heard a wonderful story about a metaslayer of alienation. Aikido teacher came from the United States to Japan to supplement his knowledge. He entered the subway car, and suddenly a huge, completely drunk fellow, reeling, fell into the aisle between the seats, shouting threats. Aikido teachers oh-vatil excitement at the thought that at last he will be able to apply their skills in practice. Prior to that, he had no such opportunity, not counting the usual practice.
When a drunk fellow and aikido teacher were already ready to come together in hand-to-hand combat, a short elderly man sitting on a bench asked a drunk man if he could get up and talk.
The guy threatened the old man, and yet something interested him. An elderly man asked what he drank. The child said: “Sake!” The old man smiled and, snapping his tongue, said that he likes to drink sake with his wife in the evenings too. And then he asked if the guy had a wife, and the drunk answered with a sadness in his voice that he was alone. Aikido teacher was supposed to go out. He turned around and saw that the head of a drunken man was resting on the knees of an old man, the fellow was talking quietly, and the old man was shaking his head.
What did this old man do? He moved away from the potential danger of this situation. He did not take the aggressiveness of a drunk at face value, and, having withdrawn from it, entered the world of this man and saw that he needed a friend so that he could talk to anyone. The old man heard his plea for friendship and help. At the end of this story, the aikido teacher admitted that he felt rude and clumsy and realized that from now on he would teach aikido in a completely different spirit. I would say that his metanaws underwent changes, feelings of detachment and sympathy took over the position of the struggle.
Indeed, detachment is often associated with wisdom and age. We attribute this property to older people, who have seen a lot and have repressed a lot, have acquired great wisdom and have freed themselves from the need to “do” everyday life. Although metanavik detachment from time to time does not bypass all of us.
created: 2015-12-25
updated: 2022-01-30
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Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychology

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