UNDERSTANDING WEAKNESS

"If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness."

-Jack Handey

I posted this to facebook a couple of weeks ago and it spurred an interesting amount of debate.

Firstly, let me clarify the original statement. Basically it is saying that the inability to recognize a weakness is basically a weakness in and of itself.

Possibly the greatest weakness of all. Just as the ability to recognize weakness is an inherent strength.

But what is a weakness exactly?

Merriam-Webster says:

Definition of WEAKNESS

1: the quality or state of being weak; also : an instance or period of being weak <backed down in a moment ofweakness>

2: fault, defect

It's the second definition that I intend to focus upon. 

If you are strong in many things and "weak" in one area, that is only a relative weakness.  You may be average in that area as opposed to your other strengths, which is technically NOT a fault or defect.  However, if you truly do have a weakness, that area is BELOW the average or standard.

OVERCOMING WEAKNESS:
Now this is the part that stirs debate.  When one has a weakness, they strive to eliminate, mitigate, or compensate for it.

A WEAKNESS WILL NEVER BE A STRENGTH AS LONG AS THE CONDITIONS WORKING AGAINST SAID WEAKNESS REMAIN CONSTANT.

If being a large reptile was a strength a billion years ago, the only things that changed that were the conditions surrounding being a large reptile.  If those conditions returned, guess what?

Jean-Jacques Machado is a World Famous Brazilian jiujutsu practitioner who has only one fully-formed hand.  He's not "good for a guy with one hand", he's damn good period. You can argue that the lack of a hand is a weakness turned strength. I would say that he would rather have both hands and be awesome.  He may have never achieved his level of proficiency if not for his handicap, but I would counter that he could have stopped at being average with his situation and everyone would STILL consider him great because of his disadvantage. The achievement of greatness IN SPITE OF his weakness is a compensation for the weakness.  The weakness didn't make him strong.  He was already strong and the handicap allowed him to realize it.  Same with the "Blade Runner" Pistorius. It sucks that he doesn't have his own legs. Period.  His prosthetics may be a strength, but being legless has disadvantages that he still had to mitigate to achieve victory. (I would argue that his true weakness is being a homicidal asshole)

Having a weakness that one works to their advantage is still not a reversal of that weakness.  It is just an attempt to mitigate the negative impact of that weakness.  One could argue that Zatoichi's blindness works to his advantage as his opponents underestimate him and thus present opportunities that they wouldn't give a sighted swordsman.  This is true.  But imagine how incredible Zatoichi would be with sight.  Or how he would enjoy seeing a Sunset, cherry blossom, or beautiful face.

One could argue that the defining characteristic of humanity is the limited scope of our ability.  Limitations and weakness are neither synonymous nor mutually inclusive.  Humanity proves that by continually expanding our limits and overcoming our weaknesses.

                               

One could argue that as the defining human trait.


Recognizing one's weakness is a strength.  Seek to eliminate your weaknesses and inadequacies as opposed to trying to twist them to your advantage if possible.  This is making the assumption that one has the choice.  If not, accept the shortfall and understand it's impact on your world. marginalize it to the point where others question whether or not it is truly a weakness.  Once that has been achieved, those conditions that place you at a disadvantage may indeed change. ;)

MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS.

It can be argued that we, as humans, are slaves to our emotional states.  Emotion tempers our reason, gives weight to experience, and color to memories.  The downside to emotion is its uncontrollable nature.  Anxiety before a meeting. Anger during a confrontation.  Emotion takes the blacks and whites of life and muddles them into a million shades of gray.

So as we strive to better ourselves and prepare for the unexpected, how do we account for the chaotic nature of our emotional state?

Wikipedia lists the psychological definition of "Sublimation" as:

         " a mature type of defense mechanism where socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations

           are consciously transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting

 in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse."

Nietzsche wrote:

"there is, strictly speaking, neither unselfish conduct, nor a wholly disinterested point of view. Both are simply sublimations in which the basic element seems almost evaporated and betrays its presence only to the keenest observation."

Simply put, humans cannot act outside the influence of some kind of personal interest. For the sake of this post, I will argue that interest is a projection of emotional status. Therefore emotional state MUST be taken in consideration when preparing for any event where personal performance at optimum levels is required. What if the ninjas attack when you're depressed? Angry? Stupid in love?
The ninjas WILL NOT CARE. (LMAO! I'm sorry, that shit is kinda funny)

So we must strive to sublimate our emotional state into something useful in a confrontation (or casual meeting, business meeting, date, etc.). I will try to address the strongest and most basic emotions that play on us everyday.

HAPPY:

This is the state that most of us plan to operate from, although it is the most fleeting and easily disrupted one.  We tend to hope that adversity comes to us on our best days, where we feel most capable to cope.  This is rarely the case. Therefore, I won't linger here. Most of you have your sunny day plans (Probably labeled "rainy day") well prepared.

Good luck with that.

SAD:

We tend to look at this as our most vulnerable state. I believe that's reserved for another emotion. Sadness and depression robs us of motivation and energy. We feel at our most vulnerable. When sadness becomes despair it makes any proactive movement nigh impossible. It is these times where we should be at our most efficient. Make the moves count. Shield the tender spots. Maybe favor defense to offense, but don't give too much ground. The parts of us that are still intact during sadness are precious. Do not compromise them. When people speak of resolve, it is most often during times of sadness. Resolve is a cool word that just means the ability to act in spite of the crippling pain of despair.

ANGRY:

"Anger clouds judgement", said every sifu, sensei, master ever. Anger usually leads to gross inefficiency in an attempt to maximize destructive potential. A lot of energy is wasted in meaningless directions. When most people think of the martial arts, they probably think of taking anger and rage and focusing it into a laser-focus of lethality. I believe that the discipline endowed by the arts serves to blunt the impact of rage on the rational mind, and helps to illustrate the emptiness of angry action. Training to identify, contain, and control the effects of rage on the mentality is a necessity; as most violent situations have a strong emotional component. The ensuing violence is often the result of an emotional outburst.

                                      

AFRAID:
Yoda says it best:

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. 

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. 

Hate leads to suffering."

Fear is an incredibly strong emotion. It is unpredictable, and therefore very difficult to simulate. We would like to think that we either have no fear, or can control it's pangs.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Fighters often try to predict their responses to critical situations but I feel that we often fail to give the fear factor its proper weight. Special Forces training includes an extensive "fear mitigation" component, and for good reason. Fear leads to hesitation, hesitation kills speed, and the absence of speed cripples combat effectiveness. Fear must be controlled like anger; and one of the only effective ways of preparing for the effects of fear is to place one's self in its presence. Facing fear is the only way to overcome it, and the very act is much easier said than done. The act of facing fear however, builds confidence; and confidence is an invaluable weapon in any situation. As practice, try exercises that mitigate the effects of fear or panic; breathing regulation, mental cues, and self-assessment are some examples.

There are other emotions that complicate stressful situations that must be accounted for:

HUNGRY: Fight hungry, but don't LOOK hungry.  Hunger is a passion that drives our latent hunter/killer instinct.

STRESSED: Regroup, fight another day if possible.

HORNY: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANYONE ENTER A CONFRONTATION IN HEAT. NOTHING WORKS RIGHT. MOST OF ALL, YOUR BRAIN.

Of these last few, I would suggest that one avoid conflict/confrontation in these mindstates.  Their effects are debilitating to an extent to place one at a severe disadvantage in most situations.

So confront the presence of your emotions.  Give them their due attention.  Learn to balance them with your rational mind. Because THE NINJAS DON'T CARE.