Winning Through Stillness

I have a secret tac­tic that is actu­ally quite ancient. It works on every­thing and in every sit­u­a­tion. I prac­tice it with­out hav­ing to appear the least bit reli­gious. It is the non-weapon that over­comes all other weapons. No one can take it away from me, and it is going to come in very handy — espe­cially over the next few years.

Still­ness.

I have had to work at it. Being a mod­er­ately hyper per­son­al­ity, this has not been easy. It is philo­sophic as well as spir­i­tual, and is linked to: “The meek will inherit the earth.” It has its deep­est ground­ing in: “Be still and know that I am God.” Still­ness forms the cen­ter of faith. There is a con­fi­dence to it that resolves the effects of any out­come. Win or lose, you remain still.

Still­ness.

It has taken a half-century for me to learn it, but it has cer­tainly been worth the efforts. Oth­ers may be quicker learn­ers on this one, or have the basic tem­pera­ment that makes it easy for them, but I have had to carve it into every cell and every thought. We live in an ocean of hys­te­ria. Fears and anx­i­eties are every­where. To the still per­son, that which intim­i­dates oth­ers sim­ply blows by. It car­ries its own rewards. Prac­tic­ing it is its own end.

Still­ness.

In social strug­gles, the quiet and unas­sum­ing come out ahead. They may not have or know more, but they ARE more. They need not take to the streets in protest, for what con­soles them can­not be taxed away or in any way stolen. Still­ness never has to be defen­sive. Quite the con­trary! It is the force with which all other forces have to reckon.

Still­ness.

That was Jesus’ final solu­tion to the cross. “Into your hands I com­mend my spirit!” He won by keep­ing his head. He refused to be ulti­mately rat­tled through ridicule, pain, or by being mis­un­der­stood and aban­doned by his friends. Polit­i­cal intim­i­da­tion is shal­low. Social manip­u­la­tion is dis­hon­est. They can­not take what you have already given away. The still ones will not some­day win. They already have…and they always will.