Sometimes you overcome obstacles not by attacking them but by withdrawing and letting them attack you. You can use the actions of others against themselves instead of acting yourself.

Action, as addressed on previous blogs, has many definitions. It’s not only moving forward, or even moving at all. Action can be a matter of positions.

It can be a matter of taking a stand.

When Gandhi was “fighting” against The British Empire, he used a technique, which at the moment might’ve seemed useless, even stupid, yet in hindsight, it was the catalyst of his succes.

Gandhi’s following was pretty “weak” compared to the forces he hoped to change. So instead of fighting head-on, he choce a different tactic, a different action, or the lack off one.

He leaned into this “weakness” and exagerated it.

He told the most powerful occupying military in the world:

“I’m marching to the ocean to collect salt in direct violation of your laws. What are you going to do about it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing.”

He knew this placed the authorities in an impossible dilemma.

The same happened when the Nazis as well as Napoleon earlier, tried to take over Russia.

Instead of fighting them head on. Russia allowed them to pass though the frontier knowing the punishing winter would do the rest.

Perhaps, at some point in your life, you will eventually face a truly unsurmountable obstacle.

Perhaps you haven’t developed the skills yet to overcome it.

Maybe attrition and iteration won’t do you any good, even if this might’ve worked before.

It’s in this situations that you must find some way to use adversity, its energy, to help yourself.

Instead of fighting obstacles, find means of making them defeat themselves.

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu we have a similar concept that revolves around the same principle.

When facing a bigger opponent, it makes no sense in terms of efficiency, to waste all your energy fighting against him.

Laws of physics are pretty clear. You’ll never win.

So instead of going against him, you use his massive strength on himself.

You make him over-commit with a specific move, and when the right moment comes, you simply use the momentum he has created against him.

Everything can be resource when you know how to leverage it.

Alexander the Great, before becoming the historical figure we all know, once faced a problem: controlling a seemingly untamable horse.

His father, King Philip II of Macedon, had been unable to tame it, yet after a couple of tries, Alexander gained total control over it.

How?

Alexander figured that fighting against the horse was useless, so instead, he allowed the horse to tire himself by running until he couldn’t any more.

Once the horse had depleted all of its stamina, he had no choice but to surrender under Alexander’s command.

Alexander would continue to ride this horse to battle for the next twenty years.

Sometimes a problem needs less of you.

Remember:

A castle can be an intimidating, impenetrable fortess, or it can also be a prison when surrounded.

Sometimes the best course of action, is to simply allow things to happen withouy you, and knowing when to intervene later.