Community Concepts (Oct 2020)
10/05/2020
Dojo Philosophy for Everyday Life (Five Res’s for Interrelating)
As this election looms, conversations have become either confounded gripe sessions within ideological groups, or shallow snipes across party lines. I can’t recall a time when even simple discussions about schools, statistics, or safety came with so many immediate and sweeping judgements about another person’s intelligence and humanity. No matter what happens in November, these members of our city, town and neighborhood are the people that we’re going to need to have connections with in order to tackle and successfully overcome whatever challenges face our communities next. It is vital to practice good communication in order to unite our people instead of drive spikes and barbs between them.
In Cuong Nhu, white belts testing for their second green stripe study “the 5 Res’s for Interrelating” as one of their six philosophies. The Res’s are:
- Responsibility
- Respect Others
- Responsiveness
- Resolution
- Resilience
Responsibility is the hallmark of maturity. In the digital age, our words can be searched and amplified online, so it’s more important than ever to consider the implications of what we say.
Respecting Others means trying to see the world from the other’s perspective. When the first label comes out the conversation is over and the fight has begun. All human beings are works in progress. Judgemental labels deny that growth. Change is made through connection of the heart to that still growing self, one person at a time.
Responsiveness means not making declarations and then walking away. If you’re not going to connect, you’re going to create more division. Instead of stating the disputed facts with more and more self-righteousness, try to understand and learn.
Resolution means never giving up. In this context it means that you have to firmly stick to the goal of connecting with another human being.
Resilience means to stand unbroken. We’re all exhausted and it’s an easier time than ever to bow out and throw up your hands, but there’s something you have to know. We only need to connect with one person each to create healing. If everyone can reach out and create one bridge across the line, every street, neighborhood, and city will be connected like never before.
Philosophies aren’t bumper stickers, though. First comes remembering, then comes understanding, but that’s only the beginning. The key step is to practice. As we say in the dojo, “if you could do it on the first try, it wouldn’t be worth learning.”