You are at the Stream bathing naked when a mad man steals your clothes and runs away with them. What do you do: do you run after him or do you hide and call for help?
The truth is this is a lose-lose situation. But you can make transform it into a win for next time.
You are naked, whether you like it or not someone will see your nakedness. Whether you decide to call for help or run after the madman, the truth is, whatever choice you make, you have already been deprived off your cover and have been exposed to the world.
The situation is what it is.
On the one hand, if you decide to wait until the coast is clear, you will have to wait untill sunset to start making your way home. Which means that you will be exposing yourself to further danger by walking on all alone at night when there is nobody around to help you if you fall victim of an attack. It will also take you longer to get home as it is dark, and you do not want to attract attention by taking well illuminated paths.
On the other hand, if you decide to run after the madman, you have two possible outcomes: it's either you catch up with the madman and retrieve your clothes or you fail to catch up with the madman and you just make your way home. But because you are running and because you do not care about being looked at and mocked you will also get to your home faster.
What I'm trying to say is that the deed has already been done; you have already been exposed. You can own it or you can hide from it but you cannot eliminate the shame.
Shame is a social construct. We are taught to feel shame. We are not born with the consciousness of what shame is. When you decide to damn the society and say, "Who cares? I don't care. Why do you care?", that is when you start winning.
The madman confides in the fact that you won't chase after him. He confides in the fact that you will be conscious of the judgement of those who are watching and for that reason, he is confident that he can steal your clothes and get away with it. The moment you run after the madman, even if you do not succeed in retrieving your clothes he will understand that it is just a matter of time before you catch him if he decides to do it again. Because next time he tries it, you would have prepared for him. That is what losing today in order to win tomorrow means.
Even though you do not win the first time, you let your opponent know that next time you'll be more than ready for him.
The truth is this is a lose-lose situation. But you can make transform it into a win for next time.
You are naked, whether you like it or not someone will see your nakedness. Whether you decide to call for help or run after the madman, the truth is, whatever choice you make, you have already been deprived off your cover and have been exposed to the world.
The situation is what it is.
On the one hand, if you decide to wait until the coast is clear, you will have to wait untill sunset to start making your way home. Which means that you will be exposing yourself to further danger by walking on all alone at night when there is nobody around to help you if you fall victim of an attack. It will also take you longer to get home as it is dark, and you do not want to attract attention by taking well illuminated paths.
On the other hand, if you decide to run after the madman, you have two possible outcomes: it's either you catch up with the madman and retrieve your clothes or you fail to catch up with the madman and you just make your way home. But because you are running and because you do not care about being looked at and mocked you will also get to your home faster.
What I'm trying to say is that the deed has already been done; you have already been exposed. You can own it or you can hide from it but you cannot eliminate the shame.
Shame is a social construct. We are taught to feel shame. We are not born with the consciousness of what shame is. When you decide to damn the society and say, "Who cares? I don't care. Why do you care?", that is when you start winning.
The madman confides in the fact that you won't chase after him. He confides in the fact that you will be conscious of the judgement of those who are watching and for that reason, he is confident that he can steal your clothes and get away with it. The moment you run after the madman, even if you do not succeed in retrieving your clothes he will understand that it is just a matter of time before you catch him if he decides to do it again. Because next time he tries it, you would have prepared for him. That is what losing today in order to win tomorrow means.
Even though you do not win the first time, you let your opponent know that next time you'll be more than ready for him.
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