Tag: philosophy

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The Assisted Dying Bill

Steve Rowe

I’m glad the assisted dying bill went through today, but it’s still nowhere near enough. Everybody has the ability to take their own life, it’s just how messy and successful it’s going to be. When ministers are arguing that it’s wrong for people to do it because they feel like they’re burden to others I’d say that that’s the main reason and the culprits for that are the government. Benefits and pensions are nowhere near enough to support sick and disabled people. When they need care someone has to pay for it and it’s often the family that can’t afford … Continue reading The Assisted Dying Bill

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I Used To Be Enlightened But I Forgot…

Steve Rowe

Around 40 years ago I was giving a talk to an astrology group about the idea of reincarnation. I suggested that natal charts were astronomical configurations that were ‘nets’. When someone died all their unresolved karmic issues went with them and the soul travelled through the universe until it was caught in one of these configurations that brought them back into a body to resolve them. Thus reincarnation until there were no issues left. Afterwards one of the attendees came up to me and said “you know, I used to be enlightened, but I forgot” and I understood what she … Continue reading I Used To Be Enlightened But I Forgot…

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How Often Do You Die?

Steve Rowe

How many times do you die?Every time you exhale it’s a deathEvery time you inhale it’s a lifeEvery time you fall asleepIt’s a deathEvery time you wake upIt’s a lifeEvery time you’re mindlessIt’s a deathEvery time you’re mindfulIt’s a lifeEvery time you dieIt’s a deathEvery time you’re bornIt’s a life Live simplyStay close to natureMeditate deeplyBe gentle and kindSpeak truthListen to your heartBe competentHelp othersHave a soft frontAnd a strong backBy Steve Rowe Continue reading How Often Do You Die?

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Wealth Is A Sickness

Steve Rowe

Why do people worship the wealthy? How could any decent person flaunt their their wealth while others starve and suffer? How can any decent person look up to them or aspire to do the same? Both sides of that coin are sick. There is a limit to the things that this planet can produce and it’s designed to create balance, humans are supposed to have intelligence and humanity and share that produce with each other and any other being that inhabits it’s environment. Until we diagnose and recognise that hoarding is a sickness we can’t deal with it. If we … Continue reading Wealth Is A Sickness

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Learning How Yo Learn

Steve Rowe

Learning how to learn is important. First we need to allow our perspective to broaden, otherwise the filter we’re using to absorb knowledge is muddied by our past. Second, we need to work on our ‘beginner’s mind’ so that we can accept what we’re being taught, practice it sufficiently without bias, before testing and challenging it to ensure that it’s viable. Third, we mustn’t be scared to walk our own path because fashions and fads amuse the stupid and lead them astray but penetrating the underlying principles, ideas and truths in an art requires an unfettered, strong, individual mind. Fourth, … Continue reading Learning How Yo Learn

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Let Go Of Letting Go

Steve Rowe

You know I have an unusual mind. Every day on here I see everyone expounding the merits of positivity, happiness and joy and I really don’t get it. We also don’t want sadness, anger, unhappiness, anxiety or depression. It’s better to have an absence of all of these. The irony is that it doesn’t leave a vacuum, it gives an incredible sense of peace. The process is one of continuously letting go of all of those emotions until you reach a deep abiding peace with both yourself and the rest of the world. Let go, then keep letting go until … Continue reading Let Go Of Letting Go

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A Conference With My Body

Steve Rowe

A conference with my body. Before I train I monitor my mental, physical and emotional state to present my case to my body on how I’m going to train during the day. My body has its own intelligence that I know I can rely on. As I start moving it immediately starts communicating in its own instinctive language that is my first (not second) language and directs the format. Some days it’s purely health, calming body, emotions and mind and when all excessive tension is gone, it opens, stretches, closes, compresses, twists and releases driving the energy through open channels. … Continue reading A Conference With My Body

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Why Being On A Programme Is Important

Steve Rowe

Martial art classes are so random because: It’s rare that the same people turn up each time. Even with lesson plans, to cater for a group that are at different places in their learning and have patchty attendance is difficult. Classes are generally treated more like gym training these days so a ‘workout’ tends to take precedence over skill learning. The teacher often teaches what they’re enthusiastic about or what the students want rather than what they need. My Tai Chi programme is so successful because: The programme is highly structured. The same people attend every month. They pay enough … Continue reading Why Being On A Programme Is Important

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How To Get ‘In The Zone’

Steve Rowe

The window of ‘maximum depth and efficiency’ in your training session. You cannot waste this precious time. In coaching and my Tai Chi Programme we talk about preparation and warm up for this phase, how to structure it and how cool down from it. The important thing to understand is that with practice, how deep, profound and insightful this window can be and why it’s important to recognise and not waste it. In our sessions we talk about ‘waiting for Tai Chi to arrive’ Tai Chi being the perfect balanced state. Preparing to train is important, the acts of hygiene, … Continue reading How To Get ‘In The Zone’

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FOMO In The Martial Arts

Steve Rowe

Sometimes I wonder whether too many martial arts teachers suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out). We are supposed to be strong independent people knowing exactly what we’re doing and where we’re going and not influenced by outside forces. But the pressure from social media does seem to produce this fear that if we don’t follow certain trends that we’re missing out. If we don’t cross train in other arts, run seminars with certain instructors, attend events and certified courses, manage our club in a certain way, make fools of ourselves with ‘entertaining’ reels and videos, advertise within the current … Continue reading FOMO In The Martial Arts