There will be times in life when we have to make difficult decisions with less than complete information.
There simply will not be enough time or resources with which to gather more information before having to act.
Or, the information itself may be hidden, covered up, or might not even exist.
Obviously, this is less than ideal and it will not be easy.
What makes it even harder is that there will likely be no clear right or wrong answer.
All options will appear to be equally undesirable, each with consequences, both seen and unseen, that we would rather not face.
However, sometimes doing nothing is not an option.
We have to make a decision.
We have to take action.
It is in moments like these when we must rely on our instincts above all else.
Things have a better chance of working out if we follow our intuition than if we rely purely on logic and reason.
Logic and reason have already failed us if the right or wrong choice is not apparent.
We must, therefore, let go of our intellect and do what feels right, even if it is not clear that it is what is right.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Kogen Dojo Self Defense Academy where he teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
All photos by Robert Van Valkenburgh unless otherwise noted.*
*Robert Van Valkenburgh’s black and white photography can be seen at My Darkness To Light
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Positive change begins by asking newer, better questions. Inquisitiveness, then, can be seen as a positive trait. This is generally true, but there are times when asking questions hinders progress, rather than aiding it.
Sometimes we do not need to know everything in order to accomplish the mission, task, or goal at hand. In some cases, the need to know more is actually just a means of procrastination or resistance to the process, a way of injecting our ego, opinions, or prejudices where they are not needed or wanted.
Other times, having too much information too soon will actually slow us down, either when time is of the essence or when the ‘why’ will become evident as the result of the action, not before it. Knowledge without understanding can cause unnecessary friction, especially when we face something new or frightening wherein understanding is the result of hindsight not forethought.
Action has a greater potential to change our thinking than our thinking does to change our action. Too many questions prior to action can lead to conflict, both internal and external, inaction, or both. Our instincts are more reliable and powerful than our intellects anyway, so we are better served by quieting the latter to listen to the former if we truly value growth and progress.
Meditations on God 