Pedal for Peace 2008

In the previous post, I talked about Peter and myself’s tendency towards competition and our need to not be competitive and instead work as a team to achieve a common goal over succumbing to egoistic demands. With that goal in mind, there’s one story that has stayed with me throughout my years at college that I read while I was training for my black belt in Kenpo Karate at New Generation Martial arts during my time in highschool. It’s titled ‘Try Softer’:

Try Softer

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.

“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.

“I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”

“Ten Years at least,” the master answered.

“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy.

“What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”

“Twenty years,” replied the master.

“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”

“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.

“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.

“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

- Anonymous

While Pete and I will be working hard each day turning the pedals, we will both have to remember to try softer and allow the Way, the path, and the means to be revealed through our travels. While the ultimate goal is arriving in Boston safe and sound, we need to leave each moment open to figure out how to get there!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 6:12 pm and is filed under update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.