Who is the second black woman in the history of the United States Senate? Who is the only black Attorney General elected in the United States? Who is the first woman to become vice president of the United States?
If you couldn't answer the first two questions, the last one is easy for pretty much anyone.
Kamala Harris
Becoming the first female vice president puts her in the history books. And not only this, we all want to hear what she has to say. We want to know what drove her to be where she is.
In one of the interviews, she said something interesting. As my mother used to say, "you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last."
Kamala is definitely not the last, and she as well might be the first female president. Her mother had such a profound influence, and her words were the mantra for success.
Kamala's story is being written, and we are far from seeing the end of it. No matter how uplifting it has been so far, it made me wonder. What could I say to be as close as it can be to Kamala's - as my mother used to say...
The greatest influence
If I were to ask you who had the most significant influence in your life that helped you become who you are today, what would you say? Mother, father, grandfather, or someone else?
Who is the person who was that close to your heart? Who was that person to whom you open your heart so wide that his words became your mantra?
How lucky Kamala Harris was to have those words pierced into her heart by her mother. Not all have been that lucky. Not all have those chantings of the heart. Still, I believe that everyone could find that luck as long as our hearts are open to listening.
Mario Topolsek
One of the most significant influences in my life comes from my dearest Tai Chi teacher. For me, he is one of the greatest men that I have ever met. Knowing him was such a blessing. Learning from him was a rare privilege. His insight into the alchemy of the body, mind, and spirit was out of this world. The depth of his knowledge reached the level of Himalayan saints. The simplicity and humbleness of his life are admirable.
I happened to be there next to him when he said something that stroke my heart like lightning. Four simple but the most profound words I have ever heard. No matter what you are trying to do in life, learn the essence of Tai Chi or anything else, you have to have:
Respect, Discipline, Will, and Dedication.
Like the biggest treasure that you can find, my heart embraced those four words. I've never held anything so dear and they became the chantings of my heart.
What do they mean to me?
For any learning, we have to have a teacher, and for the transmission of knowledge, we have to have respect. Walking through life with respect opens us to more opportunities to learn. With respect, discipline, will, and dedication, the gates of knowledge are left wide open. This is the underlying principle my Tai Chi teacher was trying to teach us.
The story of Tai Chi
Zhang Sanfeng was a Taoist monk on the Wudang Mountains who observed the movements of a white crane and a snake, their play, and sometimes their fight. Based on his observations, he adjusted the movements of the white crane and snake to a human body. This original art of movement was named Tai Chi - Eternal Greatness.
Today, more than 200 million people practice Tai Chi and enjoy enormous health benefits. All thanks to the respect and openness of Zhang Sanfeng to learn from a white crane and snake.
It is difficult to understand that anyone and everything can be a teacher. And that transmission of knowledge can happen anytime. But it all depends on us. We could be next to the most outstanding teachers but still ending up with no knowledge at all.
Respect is fundamental to any learning
Without respect, there is hardly going to be any progress. Start with respect no matter the subject. And then add discipline, will, and dedication.
As my Tai Chi teacher used to say, "We all came to the School of Earth, and there is something to learn every day."
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