Control - Do you need it?

I was on Twitter the other day, and I put out a tweet that went something like this:

Finish this sentence... "The world would be a better place without...."

I had a big response. All of the usual suspects were there - politicians, tax inspectors, traffic wardens etc. Some were quite entertaining and a little too colourful to put in this blog.

However, there was a chord running through all of the replies - all of the people named had jobs or characteristics that were in some way controlling. It seems that we don't resent people having money or fame, but we hate being controlled.

As students, we start our martial arts for the first time, and quickly realise that we do not have complete control over our bodies. This can be a disconcerting time, because as a result, if we can't control our bodies, how can we have a hope of being able to control other things around us, like our finances, friends, family, work etc?

To put aside the illusion of control is a major spiritual step for any human being. Letting go is the most empowering thing you can do. This is called "Wu Wei", and I will explore it in greater detail in future posts.