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Charles Bukowski La vida es la mejor maestra, y utiliza un diccionario; si, en ese en el que a menudo encontramos palabras que tienen mala fama injustificada, una de ellas es la TERQUEDAD. Ciertamente, desde niños nos han enseñado que ser "terco" es malo, que es sinónimo de ser obtuso, cerrado o necio (la oveja negra refiere alguno). Nos dicen que debemos ser flexibles, dóciles, adaptables… Pero la realidad de la vida es otra, ¿o no? Sin embargo, a mi edad, miro hacia atrás desde la tranquilidad de mi hogar, llegando a una rotunda conclusión que quizás escandalice a algunos puristas del lenguaje: Si no fuera por mi terquedad, yo no estaría vivo hoy. He buscado en nuestra comunidad de Holos&Lotus y veo hermosas reflexiones sobre la perseverancia. Pero hoy quiero reivindicar a su prima hermana, la rebelde, la mal vista, si, es la “Terquedad Positiva”. Quiero proponerles que, a veces, la perseverancia es solo una terquedad elegante, y que, en ciertos momentos críticos de la existencia, necesitamos ser tercos, irracionalmente tercos, para no dejarnos vencer. ¿Cuál es la diferencia? El capricho es terquedad infantil: "Quiero esto porque sí". La Terquedad Positiva es una postura existencial: "Me mantengo aquí porque mi ser me dice que este es el camino, aunque el mundo diga que no". Cuando era un niño invidente, la lógica decía que debía conformarme con un mundo limitado. Me sentí muy mal cuando no me dejaron hacer la pasantía en SIDOR (1965), pero mi terquedad dijo: "No, yo voy a aprender, voy a saber". Cuando estuve preso, la lógica (y el entorno) me invitaban a la depresión, a la locura o al suicidio (aunque no lo crean, me pasó por la cabeza al menos una vez…). Era lo "racional" ante tanta injusticia. Pero mi terquedad positiva se activó como un escudo de hierro. Me negué rotundamente a dejar que mi espíritu se quebrara entre esos muros. Me obstiné en mantener mi paz, en mantener mi decencia, en mantener mi "aura clara" incluso en el infierno. Eso no fue suave perseverancia; fue una terca resistencia. Llegar a Canadá y empezar de cero no es para los débiles. El frío te dice "ríndete". El idioma te dice "no entiendes". La soledad te dice "vuelve". Tal cual la letra de la canción Un velero llamado Libertad, de José Luis Perales (la escucho precisamente cuando escribo este párrafo). Si hubiese sido solo "flexible", me habría roto con el primer viento helado del norte. Fue mi terquedad la que me mantuvo paleando nieve, aprendiendo normas, integrándome (encajando) en sinagogas y comunidades donde era un extraño. Me obsesioné con ser feliz. Me obstiné en que mis hermanos en Venezuela recibieran sus cajas mensualmente. Me obstiné en que mi hijo Matthew tuviera un padre presente y entero. ¿Cómo aplicar la Terquedad Positiva? Quiero invitar a los lectores de Holos&Lotus a revisar sus propias vidas. ¿Hay algún sueño que abandonaron porque les dijeron que eran muy viejos, muy jóvenes o muy ilusos? La Terquedad Positiva tiene tres reglas que he aprendido a golpes: No le tengan miedo a la palabra. La historia de la humanidad la han escrito los tercos. Los que insistieron en que la tierra era redonda, los que insistieron en volar, los que insistieron en la libertad. Hoy, declaro que mi paz es fruto de mis batallas. Y mis guerras las gané gracias a mi bendita terquedad. Así que si alguien te llama "cabeza dura", sonríe y dile: "Gracias, estoy entrenando mi perseverancia". ¿Y tú? ¿En qué aspecto de tu vida necesitas ser más terco hoy para lograr lo que deseas? Creciendo como persona, busca y encuentra lo que necesitas para ser un mejor humano en la Comunidad Holos&Lotus. De seguro, hay un tema que te llamará la atención.
"La diferencia entre los que sobreviven
y los que se rinden
no está en la fuerza, sino en la terquedad.
A veces, seguir de pie
es solo cuestión de negarte a caer".
Catholic Net
La delgada línea entre el Capricho y la Convicción
Devocional Pan de Vida
El Inmigrante Terco
Aquel invierno 2011
Quizás les faltó un poco de terquedad.
Ser un "Cabeza Dura" con propósito
Infografía propia de la Comunidad Holos&Lotus
Dedicado a todos aquellos que, día a día, hacen del mundo un lugar mejor.
"The difference between those who survive
and those who give up
is not strength, but stubbornness.
Sometimes, staying on your feet
is just a matter of refusing to fall."
Charles Bukowski
When being ‘stubborn’ is the only way to survive
Life is the best teacher, and it uses a dictionary; yes, the one in which we often find words that have an unjustified bad reputation, one of which is STUBBORNESS. Certainly, since childhood we have been taught that being ‘stubborn’ is bad, that it is synonymous with being obtuse, closed-minded or foolish (the black sheep, as some say). We are told that we must be flexible, docile, adaptable... But the reality of life is different, isn't it?
However, at my age, I look back from the tranquillity of my home and come to a resounding conclusion that may shock some language purists:
If it weren't for my stubbornness, I wouldn't be alive today.
Catholic Net
I have searched our Holos&Lotus community and found beautiful reflections on perseverance. But today I want to defend its cousin, the rebellious, the frowned-upon, yes, it is ‘Positive Stubbornness’. I want to suggest that sometimes perseverance is just elegant stubbornness, and that at certain critical moments in life, we need to be stubborn, irrationally stubborn, so as not to let ourselves be defeated.
The fine line between whim and conviction
What is the difference?
A whim is childish stubbornness: ‘I want this because I want it.’
Positive stubbornness is an existential stance: ‘I am staying here because my being tells me that this is the way, even if the world says no.’
When I was a blind child, logic dictated that I should settle for a limited world. I felt terrible when they wouldn't let me do my internship at SIDOR (1965), but my stubbornness said, ‘No, I'm going to learn, I'm going to know.’
Bread of Life Devotional
When I was in prison, logic (and my surroundings) invited me to depression, madness or suicide (believe it or not, it crossed my mind at least once...). It was the ‘rational’ thing to do in the face of so much injustice. But my positive stubbornness kicked in like an iron shield. I flatly refused to let my spirit be broken within those walls. I was determined to maintain my peace, my decency, my ‘clear aura’ even in hell.
That was not gentle perseverance; it was stubborn resistance.
The Stubborn Immigrant
Arriving in Canada and starting from scratch is not for the faint-hearted. The cold tells you to ‘give up.’ The language tells you ‘you don't understand.’ Loneliness tells you ‘go back.’ Just like the lyrics of the song Un velero llamado Libertad (A Sailboat Called Freedom) by José Luis Perales (I'm listening to it as I write this paragraph).
That winter of 2011
If I had been just ‘flexible,’ I would have broken with the first icy north wind. It was my stubbornness that kept me shovelling snow, learning rules, integrating (fitting in) to synagogues and communities where I was a stranger.
I became obsessed with being happy. I was determined that my brothers in Venezuela would receive their boxes every month. I was determined that my son Matthew would have a present and whole father.
How to apply Positive Stubbornness?
I want to invite Holos&Lotus readers to review their own lives.
Is there a dream you gave up because you were told you were too old, too young, or too naive?
Perhaps you lacked a little stubbornness.
Positive stubbornness has three rules that I have learned the hard way:
- Selective deafness, because you have to learn to turn a deaf ear to the voices (your own and others') that say “you can't do it”. I have sometimes referred to this as the “Shakira attitude”, from the lyrics of her song “blind, deaf, dumb...”.
- Tunnel vision (focused), of course, when everything around you is chaos, you stubbornly focus on the next step, only the next step.
- Radical self-love, that's right, I'm stubborn because I love myself enough not to let myself down.
Be a ‘hardhead’ with purpose
Don't be afraid of the word. The history of humanity has been written by stubborn people. Those who insisted that the earth was round, those who insisted on flying, those who insisted on freedom.
Today, I declare that my peace is the fruit of my battles. And I won my wars thanks to my blessed stubbornness.
So, if someone calls you ‘hard-headed,’ smile and say, ‘Thank you, I'm training my perseverance.’
And you? In what area of your life do you need to be more stubborn today to achieve what you want?
Growing as a person, seek and find what you need to be a better person in the Holos&Lotus Community. Surely, there's a topic that will catch your attention.
Community's own infographic Holos&Lotus
🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆+++🔆
Dedicated to all those who, day after day, make the world a better place.
Dedicado a todos aquellos que, día a día, hacen del mundo un lugar mejor.
Charles Bukowski Life is the best teacher, and it uses a dictionary; yes, the one in which we often find words that have an unjustified bad reputation, one of which is STUBBORNESS. Certainly, since childhood we have been taught that being ‘stubborn’ is bad, that it is synonymous with being obtuse, closed-minded or foolish (the black sheep, as some say). We are told that we must be flexible, docile, adaptable... But the reality of life is different, isn't it? However, at my age, I look back from the tranquillity of my home and come to a resounding conclusion that may shock some language purists: If it weren't for my stubbornness, I wouldn't be alive today. I have searched our Holos&Lotus community and found beautiful reflections on perseverance. But today I want to defend its cousin, the rebellious, the frowned-upon, yes, it is ‘Positive Stubbornness’. I want to suggest that sometimes perseverance is just elegant stubbornness, and that at certain critical moments in life, we need to be stubborn, irrationally stubborn, so as not to let ourselves be defeated. What is the difference? A whim is childish stubbornness: ‘I want this because I want it.’ Positive stubbornness is an existential stance: ‘I am staying here because my being tells me that this is the way, even if the world says no.’ When I was a blind child, logic dictated that I should settle for a limited world. I felt terrible when they wouldn't let me do my internship at SIDOR (1965), but my stubbornness said, ‘No, I'm going to learn, I'm going to know.’ When I was in prison, logic (and my surroundings) invited me to depression, madness or suicide (believe it or not, it crossed my mind at least once...). It was the ‘rational’ thing to do in the face of so much injustice. But my positive stubbornness kicked in like an iron shield. I flatly refused to let my spirit be broken within those walls. I was determined to maintain my peace, my decency, my ‘clear aura’ even in hell. That was not gentle perseverance; it was stubborn resistance. Arriving in Canada and starting from scratch is not for the faint-hearted. The cold tells you to ‘give up.’ The language tells you ‘you don't understand.’ Loneliness tells you ‘go back.’ Just like the lyrics of the song Un velero llamado Libertad (A Sailboat Called Freedom) by José Luis Perales (I'm listening to it as I write this paragraph). If I had been just ‘flexible,’ I would have broken with the first icy north wind. It was my stubbornness that kept me shovelling snow, learning rules, integrating (fitting in) to synagogues and communities where I was a stranger. I became obsessed with being happy. I was determined that my brothers in Venezuela would receive their boxes every month. I was determined that my son Matthew would have a present and whole father. How to apply Positive Stubbornness? I want to invite Holos&Lotus readers to review their own lives. Perhaps you lacked a little stubbornness. Positive stubbornness has three rules that I have learned the hard way: Don't be afraid of the word. The history of humanity has been written by stubborn people. Those who insisted that the earth was round, those who insisted on flying, those who insisted on freedom. Today, I declare that my peace is the fruit of my battles. And I won my wars thanks to my blessed stubbornness. So, if someone calls you ‘hard-headed,’ smile and say, ‘Thank you, I'm training my perseverance.’ And you? In what area of your life do you need to be more stubborn today to achieve what you want? Growing as a person, seek and find what you need to be a better person in the Holos&Lotus Community. Surely, there's a topic that will catch your attention.
"The difference between those who survive
and those who give up
is not strength, but stubbornness.
Sometimes, staying on your feet
is just a matter of refusing to fall."
Catholic Net
The fine line between whim and conviction
Bread of Life Devotional
The Stubborn Immigrant
That winter of 2011
Is there a dream you gave up because you were told you were too old, too young, or too naive?
Be a ‘hardhead’ with purpose
Community's own infographic Holos&Lotus
Dedicated to all those who, day after day, make the world a better place.
Dedicated to all those who, day after day, make the world a better place.
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