Saturday, February 17, 2024
In a famous anthem from the 16th century called “Rejoice in the Lord Alway,” it quotes a passage from Philippians, “Let your softness be known.” That’s an interesting translation. I thought that it came from the King James Bible, but it doesn’t. Instead of softness, most translations use words like gentleness, forbearance, moderation, etc.
Common perception is that force, bearing down, and persistence are the way to get things done. But ancient wisdom tells us otherwise. In the Tao it states, “Alive, a man is supple, soft; In death, unbending, rigorous.” Suppleness, tenderness, and ease are the underlying truths of love – the most powerful “force” on earth. Can you see this nature? Every morning I look out into my backyard, and I see how soft, supple, and yielding nature is. Even these mighty oak trees could be taken out with a single chainsaw. That is not to say nature doesn’t have her defense, but her power is in her intelligence, her cleverness, her tenderness.
In purest form, your honest power is in your softness, the channel of the imagination. Unbending, rigorous, stiff, distant – these are signs of no life, no power, no real authority. The word authority has in it the word “author.” This is one who sits quietly with an idea and crafts a clever story for a path forward. It’s like the trickle of a stream that cuts through a mountain range and creates a valley with a raging river. It starts with a soft trickle.
Write down what you want, but hold the pen loosely. Let your softness be known by asking. Then relax and sink to the depths of your soul, where you’ll find your answer. Then let it drift to the surface. Then show others how to allow their will to come forth without forcing, but by authoring their story, craftily and with gentle ease.