There is a scene in Star Wars Episode 1 where Qui-Gon Jinn is in a battle with Darth Maul.
When a wall of energy closes them off from each other and they have to wait till it opens to proceed, they each wait differently.
Darth Maul paces back and forth angrily and focuses on the battle and getting back to the fight.
Qui-Gon Jinn on the other hand kneels down and clears his mind. He slows his breathing and specifically does not continue to dwell on the his enemy.
He creates a moment of peace in the tiny space that’s in his control in the middle of the hectic chaos of the battle.
When you stop putting effort into the things you don’t have control over, you free up energy and focus to put into what you can control.
And one of the best things you can do in the middle of a tense situation is create a sense of peace.
There is a song from the 90s by Crowded House called Weather with You. It included the line “Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you.”
This is the sentiment here. Your mood, your attitude, whether you’re happy or sad should not be determined by what’s going on around you.
This is essential to your own well being. People who are tossed about with every wind suffer at the hands of who and whatever crosses their path.
From a safety standpoint, you absolutely want to be in control of yourself . You do not want to allow others to wield your emotions and influence your actions.
In practicing martial arts, we are creating a powerful tool. And the thought that you would hand that powerful tool over to someone who at best is unprepared to control it, and at worst wants to use it for nefarious purposes is scary.
So we learn to create a center of peace – blocked off from the rest of the world. A place where no one else can go but us. This is the environment we take with us wherever we go. Even in the middle of a storm, we can take refuge here to rest, be protected from everything outside.
This does take practice. It takes work in areas like mindfulness, meditation, self care, and self love. We build our place of peace by seeking out truth and making ourselves better every day. We strive to rise above our past and present selves to become someone with an unwavering compass guiding our thoughts and actions.
When we painstakingly create a place of peace, we can then enter the battles and struggles of this world with confidence.
We can stand in the face of all that opposes us without fear, without anger, without confusion. We can be at peace, no matter what kind of storm is raging all around us.
