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      <p><br>
              <span class="txtbold"> Issue n&ordm; 57</span></p>
            <p><font color="#996666">1 - The art of retreat | 2 - The master and 
              the combat | 3 - The cedar forest<br>
              4 - The way that leads to heaven | 5 - The cocoon | 6 - The intelligent 
              servant</font><br>
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    <td height="35" width="413" valign="middle" align="left" class="txt"><b>Viajando 
      no Cyberespa&ccedil;o</b></td>
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            <p><b>The art of retreat</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A warrior of the light who trusts too much in his intelligence 
              ends up under-estimating the power of the adversary.<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One must not forget: there are moments when strength is more effective 
              than sagacity. And when we find ourselves faced with a certain kind 
              of violence, no brilliance, argument, intelligence or charm can 
              prevent tragedy. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;That is why the warrior never under-estimates brute force. When 
              it is irrationally aggressive, he retreats from the battle field 
              until the enemy has spent his energy.<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;However, let it be made quite clear: a warrior of the light is 
              never cowardly. Flight can be an excellent art of defense but it 
              cannot be used when there is great fear. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In the face of any doubt, the warrior prefers to accept defeat 
              and take care of his wounds, because he knows that if he flees he 
              will be giving the attacker a greater power than he deserves. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He can cure physical suffering but he will be eternally persecuted 
              for his spiritual weakness. In some difficult and painful moments, 
              the warrior faces a situation of disadvantage with heroism, resignation 
              and courage.<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To achieve the necessary state of mind (since he is entering the 
              fight at a disadvantage and may suffer a lot), the warrior has to 
              understand exactly what can cause him harm. Okakura Kakuso comments 
              in his book on the Japanese tea ritual:<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;We look at the evil of others because we know evil through 
              our own behavior. We never forgive those who injure us because we 
              believe that we would never be forgiven. We tell painful truth to 
              our neighbor because we want to hide it from ourselves. We show 
              our strength so that no-one can see our fragility.&quot;<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;That is why, whenever you are judging your brother, know 
              that it you who are on trial.&quot; <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sometimes this knowledge can prevent a fight that will only bring 
              disadvantages. However, at other times there is no way out, only 
              an unequal fight. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We know we are gong to lose, but the enemy - violence - has left 
              no other alternative but cowardice, which is of no interest to us. 
              At this moment it is necessary to accept fate and try to bear in 
              mind a text from the fabulous Bragavad Gita (Chapter II, 16-26):<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Man is not born, nor does he ever die. For ever he tries 
              to exist, he will never stop doing this, because this is eternal 
              and permanent.&quot; <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;Just as a man casts off his old clothes and starts to wear 
              new ones, the soul casts off the old body and takes on a new one.&quot; 
              <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;But the soul is indestructible; spades cannot cut it down, 
              fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and the wind never 
              dries it. The soul is beyond the power of all such things.&quot;<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;As man is indestructible, he is always victorious (even 
              in his defeats), and therefore should never have regrets.&quot;</p>
            <p><b>The master and the combat</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The aikid&ocirc; master demanded 
              intensive training but never allowed his pupils to compete with 
              other martial-arts academies. They all complained among themselves 
              but no-one ever had the nerve to bring up the subject in class. 
              <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And then one day one of the boys dared 
              to ask: <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- We have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly 
              to the study of aikid&ocirc;, but we shall never know whether we 
              are good or bad fighters because we cannot compete with anyone from 
              outside here. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- And may you never need to know that 
              - was the master's answer. - He who wants to fight loses his bond 
              with the Universe. Here we study the art of resolving conflicts, 
              not starting them. </p>
            <p><b>The cedar forest</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1939 the Japanese diplomat Chiune 
              Sugihara, who was posted in Lithuania during one of the most dreadful 
              periods ever known to mankind, saved thousands of Polish Jews from 
              the Nazi menace by granting them exit visas. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;His act of heroism was an obscure 
              footnote in the history of the war until the survivors saved by 
              Sugihara decided to tell their story. His courage and grandeur were 
              soon celebrated by all, drawing the attention of the media and inspiring 
              some authors to write books describing him as &quot;the Japanese 
              Schindler.&quot; <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile the Israeli government collected 
              the names of the saviors in order to reward them for their efforts. 
              One of the ways in which that the Jewish state tried to show their 
              indebtedness towards these heroes was to plant trees in homage to 
              them. When Sugihara's courage was disclosed, the Israeli authorities 
              planned to plant the customary cluster of cherry trees - the national 
              tree of Japan - in his memory. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All of a sudden an unheard-of decision 
              was made and the order revoked. They decided that cherry trees were 
              inadequate as a symbol of the bravery displayed by Sugihara and 
              opted for a wood of cedars, a tree of greater vigor and with more 
              sacred connotations for having been used in the First Temple. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Only after the trees were planted 
              did the authorities find out that &quot;Sugihara&quot; in Japanese 
              may be written as ... cedar forest.</p>
            <p><b>The path that leads to heaven</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When they asked Abbot Antonio if the path of sacrifice led to 
              heaven, he answered:<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- There are two paths of sacrifice. The first is taken by the 
              man who mortifies the flesh and pays penance because he believes 
              that we are condemned. The man who follows this path feels guilty 
              and judges himself unworthy of living happily. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- The second path is taken by the man who, even though he knows 
              that the world is not as perfect as we would like, prays, does penance 
              and offers up his time and toil to improve the world around him. 
              So he understands that the word sacrifice comes from sacro of&iacute;cio, 
              holy work. In this case the Divine Presence helps him all the time 
              and he obtains results in heaven.&quot;</p>
            <p><b>The cocoon</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The great Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis (&quot;Zorba the Greek&quot;) 
              tells us that once when he was a boy he noticed a cocoon stuck to 
              a tree, with a butterfly was about to be born. He waited a while, 
              but it was taking so long, so he decided to warm the cocoon with 
              his breath. The butterfly finally emerged but its wings were still 
              stuck together and it died soon afterwards.<br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;I just couldn't wait for the sun to complete the necessary 
              process of patient maturation,&quot; says Kazantzakis. &quot;That 
              small corpse is until this very day one of the heaviest burdens 
              on my conscience. But that's what made me understand what a true 
              mortal sin is: trying to force the great laws of the universe. We 
              have to have patience, wait for the right time and then follow confidently 
              the rhythm that God has chosen for our lives.&quot;</p>
            <p><b>The intelligent servant</b></p>
            <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When he was staying at an air base in Africa, author Saint-Exup&eacute;ry 
              passed the hat among his friends because a Moroccan servant wanted 
              to return to his home town. He managed to collect a thousand francs. 
              <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One of the pilots flew the servant as far as Casablanca and told 
              the following when he came back: <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- As soon as he arrived he went to have dinner in the very best 
              restaurant, handed out generous tips, paid for drinks all round 
              and bought dolls for the children in his village. This man hadn't 
              the slightest notion of economy. <br>
              &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Quite the opposite - answered Saint-Exup&eacute;ry. - He knew 
              that the best investment in the world is people. Spending in that 
              way, he managed to win all over again the respect of his countrymen, 
              and they will offer him a job. After all, only a winner can be so 
              generous.</p>
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