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“Silence, patience, slow movements, and careful observation of the surrounding area."

 

These are the skills of a good birdwatcher in their natural environment.

I'm a great birdwatcher.

I've been refining these qualities since pregnancy.

 

Listening to sounds, learning to distinguish their origin, moving slowly, making as little noise as possible, and not getting noticed, are the skills I learned during that time.

Did you know that birds can sense terrestrial electromagnetic fields and therefore, can travel thousands of kilometers over the ocean, and find without any landmarks their destinations, the places where, years after year, they spend winter and lay eggs?

And they do it without saying a word.

Of course, they use sounds. The necessary direction and warning calls. But there are no misunderstandings, no insults or accusations, no lying or pretending everything is fine.

It is amazing how many things can be done without words, with patience, slow movements, and careful observation of the surrounding area.

 

I know you are thinking that I am a young dreamer, who sees only the positive side of things. But weren’t martial arts created by observing animals, including birds, learning the movements and the most effective postures to stay alive? Best results with minimal effort.

 

“Silence, patience, slow movements, and careful observation of the surrounding area."

 

Is it possible to feel responsible for your parents' choices since pregnancy?

For the choices that made them grow apart while still living together?

That made them long for the good times, when I didn’t yet exist?

Can my presence limit someone else's life? That of my parents, for example?

Don't think I'm sentimental or ungrateful, far be it from me to use that part of the brain that produces emotions and feelings, which are mistakenly considered responsible for our choices and actions. I am still young, I know it, but I have a lot of experience on this matter.

 

“Silence, patience, slow movements, and careful observation of the surrounding area."

 

Why birds, you might ask? Why not reptiles or other animals, such as mammals? I think it's because of those outstretched wings, the hovering in the blue sky above the sea and treetops, swooping through the ocean waves, free to go wherever they want. Yet, even if they look free, they are not. Sooner or later, they’ll have to return to where it all began. And repeat the cycle of life.

Or, perhaps, it’s because of the colors of their plumage that make them so unique, and so alike.

...

Extract from the book “We Cannot Escape from Ourselves”.