Deep thoughts with my daughter

Daughter being sick with a cold, and Mom spent the early morning hours, where the sun, and moon both stay out of the sky, talking deep thoughts together. What a special moment!

One of the greatest things that our discussion helped reveal to me was a greater understanding of the concept that "the eyes are the window of the soul."

She and I spoke at length, and worked ourselves into the realization that a person with a compassionate spirit will see compassion in others. A person filled with distrust will see the negative in others. A person filled with anger will see insult, and derision in the words and actions of others regardless to the reality of what is happening.

AND then suddenly, we both understood where violence, and bullying comes from.. It comes from the thoughts, and energy within the person. I had an AHA! moment as I thought of Sensei Gichin Funakoshi's maxim: "There is no first strike in karate." I don't believe that Sensei Funakoshi is speaking against pre-emptive attacks, I believe that he is talking about the attitude of the mind, and heart of a black belt in karate. I think that he expects that someone who has trained in the Way ( Do) of Karate would not be seeking to express violence, and aggression as a "bully" would. The actions of a Martial Artist would be centered in controlling the moment through perception of possibilities, clarity of thought, and reaction to the best alternatives.

A fulfilled Martial artist would not need to show forth superiority towards others, they would be comfortable within their own skills accepting both their strong aspects, and weaker parts as just "who" they are. "The out come of the battle depends on how you handle weakness and strength." A Martial Artist following the Way ( Do ) would not need to harm others through physical strikes, or verbal insults to prove that they have the ability to do so, nor to harm themselves with the same weapons because they feel inadequate.

My daughter and I puzzled over the thought that bullies must be living in a world where they see an insult in every person who challenges their view of reality. Bullies would not be able to understand, nor recognize, the goodness in others since they live in a world of violence.

My greatest question that came out of our discussion was: How can a bully change their world view so that they can escape this kind of personal negative environment?