\u201cJi Xingzi was training a fighting rooster for King Xuan of Zhou. After 10 days, the king asked if the rooster was ready for battle.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Not yet, he is still boastful and vainly shows off.<\/p>\n
After another 10 days, to the same question, Ji Xingzi replied: \u2014 Still not. He still lunges at every shadow and responds to every sound.<\/p>\n
After another 10 days, the answer was: \u2014 Not yet ready; his gaze is full of hatred, and his power overflows from within.<\/p>\n
After another 10 days, the answer finally was: \u2014 He is almost ready. He will not be disturbed even if he hears another rooster. Look at him\u2014he is like he was carved from wood. The fullness of his properties is perfect. To his call, not a single rooster will dare respond\u2014they will turn and run…\u201d<\/p>\n
When I first read this parable, I only understood it with my mind. But with every step I have taken on my path through external battles, I began to understand it more deeply. Given that my sense of justice is sometimes painfully strong, you can imagine how “helpful” it is when it comes to getting angry with someone. In this case, it\u2019s not so much about showing my anger openly; it\u2019s simply about ceasing to pay attention<\/b> to the other “rooster.”<\/p>\n
When I was younger, I used to jump at the slightest provocation, letting the other person know exactly what I thought, convinced of my own righteousness. Later, I learned to restrain my external reaction, but I couldn’t change the internal one. Inside, anger seethed that things were not as they should be. I wanted very much for this to change, but it wasn’t clear to me if the day would ever come when I would become as calm as Ji Xingzi’s rooster.<\/p>\n
That day has still not fully arrived. But fortunately, I have at least tasted a small glimpse of the experience of \u201cnot hooking emotionally\u201d<\/b> into some of the things that literally used to throw me off balance in the past. I want to have that feeling again, because it is wonderful.<\/p>\n