Happiness

Happiness is a warm gun (Beatles) - or a warm puppy (Peanuts).  Finding the love of your life. A baby. The baby moving out after 18 years. Leaving the love of your life, because he wasn't right after all.

Some people think, money means happiness. Living on a tropical island never having to worry about a thing. A house, an expensive car, a boat.

As you know, greater minds than mine have already thought and written about this topic, so I can only add my own personal idea of moments of happiness.Of course, unhappiness is a part of it,too, without it you would not recognize happiness. And remember, that the American Declaration lists "the pursuit of happiness" as one of the unalienable rights of every human being. The pursuit of happiness, not happiness itself. Happiness is a tricky thing (Sam C. Chan), maybe it has more to do with ourselves than with symbols of success and wealth.

Well, here are some of my happy moments:
- the smell of coffee early in the morning
- a phone call without bad news
- going to bed knowing that the alarm clock will not ring the next morning
- seeing the sun rise after a night of talking to a  good friend
- seeing myself in the eyes of someone who cares
- being here at this time and place, living this moment and taking it as the gift it is
- being allowed to be me

And what are yours ?

The Forbidden Kingdom: Last Quote

When Lu Yan is deadly wounded and confesses that he is not an immortal, Jason is shocked, but Lu Yan does not seem to be so unhappy about this fact and says:
  
"If one does not attach himself to people and desires, never shall his heart be broken. But does he ever truly live?"

I love this scene , because the character played by Jackie Chan suddenly gets so much depth, you feel, there is a long and interesting story that can be told about him. The amazing thing: Jackie can only create this with his face and voice, as he is lying motionless on the bed.

The first time I saw it in the cinema, it gave me goosebumps. And every time I hesitate to leave the safe path of my comfortable life to embark on some adventure, I hear Jackie's voice speaking these words. Yes, it is safer not to open myself to a new friendship, not to allow my heart to love, not to try something new, because I cannot be disappointed and hurt.  But if I  act like this, do I truly live ?

It took me many years to grow courageous enough to adopt this attitude, but now I have reached the point where I am aware that there is only one short life for me and that I should live every moment of it. And accept everything it has to offer...

(Photo: JC Group 2007, www.jackiechan.com)

"Empty your cup!"

Jason, the Boston teenager who has been transported into a mythic world, has met Lu Yan who helps him to return the magic staff to its rightful owner, but Jason must learn to fight. Lu Yan decides to teach him Kung Fu.

So in the scene I am talking about they sit at the campfire after a day of travelling, Lu Yan has made some tea and Jason is very enthusiastic about  learning Kung Fu. He has seen so many Kung Fu movies, he is looking forward to learning the "Buddha Palm Technique" and the "Shadow Kick". Listening to Jason's talk, Lu Yan fills his cup with tea and keeps pouring even when the cup is full. When Jason protests, he explains:  "How can I fill your cup when it is already full? How can I teach you Kung Fu when you already know everything? Empty your cup !" Jason pours the tea into the fire  - and Lu Yan is quite desperate about his new student.

I first heard this story from my own martial arts master who had got it from a book where the author got it from his master.For most of us the idea to completely forget anything we might know about a subject and start learning from the start is probably  strange. In our Western culture we are encouraged to learn with a critical mind, to question what the teacher says and to draw our own conclusions. Eastern martial arts teach you to submit yourself to your master as he has undergone years of training and knows best.

So I was curious what my students would say to this quote. Amazingly, they understood the  meaning at once. There are teachers and students. Students have to learn, teachers have to teach. It is a tedious fight if you question everything your teacher says, first you have to learn the basics and advance in the topic,  and only after some time of learning are you able to judge yourself.

One student added a further idea: we should be open and curious to learn something new and not let our learning be influenced by preconceived opinions. When you go to a foreign country, for example, it is best to be curious and experience the strange culture with a free mind, not tinted by what you may have heard or read.

So I think, sometimes it is good to empty your cup and give a new point of view a fair chance.

(Photo JC Group, 2007,  www.jackiechan.com)