The Stages of Life
Following a discussion where we talked about some of the characteristics of individual types in Chinese medicine, I was reminded that I had heard some interesting comments from Prof. Di Stanislao on the stages of life, and I want to share.
To all who read this post and not familiar with the types and 5 movements, refer you to related articles ( Water , Wood , Fire , Earth , Metal )
WATER is the newborn child: an individual has a strong drive, wants everything for itself, takes its nourishment from others, especially his mother. Although it seems sure of itself is extremely needy, is defined based on the other. Its goal is to BE. Its characteristic is also the challenge in life is to win a water type: to be defined as a person, being himself, being a person, not a character, or someone changing a mask that is defined only by the role it plays in society to what others know about him. The water type is the most precious gift (and riskier): be like water, changing, fluid, capable of embracing all, nurture and destroy, but unfortunately rarely crystalline. Be like water is the goal of the essay, according to the Dao De Jing.
The wood is the child who begins to take its first steps: he wants to be independent, wants to play and never stops. Dad does not want to impose the rules, will not be stopped. Its goal is to GROW. The challenge we must overcome a type wood is the same: to grow, take responsibility, stop thinking you can do one hundred thousand things without ever being defined in their projects, taking a road.
The FIRE is the young man who makes her way in society and define its role compared to others. He wants to affirm its identity and expand it, define what he is different from the others. Its goal is achieved. The fire type will succeed in life, to carve out a role and to complete the construction of identity, to be in life what is written in its mandate, realized as an individual in the world.
The EARTH is the adult who has had experience of the world has seen, known and traveled, and now you want to stop. He has learned to distinguish things, analyze them, has defined its role in society, has become "a man of the world", but it's time for him to become a "man in the world", ie to overcome the mere materiality. Its goal is CHANGE. The soil type has the daunting task of not stopping, not to be always equal to itself, to be able, not by reason alone, to live and be a new person every day, to abandon old habits and evolve Slowly but surely his own.
The METAL is the elder, who lived a full life and is prepared to accept death, the greatest accomplishment. Elder is calm and poised, ponders his actions, but sometimes it is as stubborn as a child, the details become important to him and threatens to hang everything: people, because he does not want to be abandoned, and things, because the remember what is not. Its goal is to MEET. The type metal must collect all the transformations of the earth have produced so you can really redefine their identity, not as man but as part of the Dao. His challenge is to overcome the apparent separation of the hundred thousand things of the world and the ultimate reality, indescribable. The metal, ultimate judge of human life, decide whether the curriculum will be made of the man in the world, allowing him to enter into death.
Category: Ideas and Theories , pills of Chinese Medicine on: December 2nd, 2009
What do you think?