There's a centuries old Chinese story about a man trying to sell a
spear and a shield. When askedhow good his spear was, he said that his
spear could pierce any shield. Then, when asked how good his shield
was, he said that it could defend from all spear attacks. Then one
person asked him what would happen if he were to take his spear to
strike his shield; the seller could not answer. This led to the idiom
of " zìx?ang máodùn ", or "self-contradictory".
Today we would call this a paradox. A modern phrasing of this
particular paradox might be, "What happens whenan unstoppable force
meets an immovable object?"
The scientist and author Isaac Asimov answered this by saying that the
question was essentially meaningless, because a universe in which
there exists such a thing as an irresistible force is, by definition,
a universe which cannot also contain an immovable object, and vice
versa.
I want to look at this paradox from a personal angle, in terms of
challenges in our relationships and at work, and confronting the
myriad obstacles of life.
I believe that – within this worldly plane and subject only to Allah's
decree – the human will triumphs over all. I can become either the
unstoppable force or the immovable object.
Unstoppable Force
Try it. When faced with a challenge, become the unstoppable force.
Don't give up, no matter what. If one approach does not work, try
another. Ignorethose who tell you that what you're doing is
impossible. Learn from failure and try again. When the road is dark,
ask Allah for guidance and feel your way forward. When the path is
obscured with thorns and branches, blaze your own trail. You will find
that through sheer determination, the so-called "unstoppable force"
will crumble before you like a clod of dirt, Insha'Allah.
I've experienced this. By not taking "no" for an answer, I've gotten
jobs when there were no jobsto be had. By being persistent and patient
and never losing hope, I've experienced true love. By never quitting
even when I was tired and discouraged, I've become a martial arts
expert.
I first began practicing martial arts as a teenager. I used to
literally walk across the desert outside Riyadh to get to karate
class, carrying stones in case I needed to keep the wild dogs at bay.
Later, when Ilived in Oakland, I took up a different martial art
called Hapkido. When I moved to Panama I found a Hapkido school and I
rode the bus over an hour each way to get there. The bus had no air
conditioning and was packed with tired Panamanians going home from
work. It was noisy, hot and uncomfortable. People covered their mouths
with cloths because of the smog. The Hapkido school also had no air
conditioning. After class I would wring the sweat out of my uniform.
When I later moved to a house up in the mountains there were no
martial arts schools, so I bought mats, laid them in my living room,
and recruited a few locals to come to my house for training. I even
convinced my gardener to practice with me, on the clock. So I was
payinghim to learn from me, just so I could have a practice partner!
When I returned to California I found no Hapkido school,so I started
my own class, and three years later thatclass is still going strong.
Meanwhile I have earnedblack belts in two other martial arts.
I'm not boasting, I'm simply trying to give you a real-world example.
When you want something badly enough,become the unstoppable force.
Keep moving toward your goal no matter what.
Immovable Object
When you feel like you are under attack, becomethe immovable object.
Duck your head and root yourself like a mountain, and the "unstoppable
force" will break around you like a breeze. Whether you are under
attack for your faith, or being criticized for making life choices
that others do not understand, hold your ground and do not yield an
inch, as long as you are in Allah's path.
When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) began preaching in
Makkah, thepeople were idol worshipers. The Prophet used to go to the
Ka'bah, the square mosque which is the oldest houseof worship on
earth, and preach the idea of "Laa ilaha-il-Allah". There is noGod but
Allah. In other words no idol is worthy of worship, no human being
should be deified, no saint or angel should be venerated. Only Allah.
Because of this preachingthe Quraysh (the Arab tribe which held sway
in Makkah, and to which the Prophet Muhammad himself belonged)
persecuted him relentlessly. And yet he persisted, gaining followers,
until the Quraysh became desperate. They met withMuhammad (sws)
privately, and offered to make him king of Quraysh, and to bestow
great wealth on him, on the condition that he stop preaching. He
replied, "…if they should put the sun in my right hand and the moon in
my left, even then I shall not abandon the proclamation of the Unityof
God. I shall set up the true faith upon the earth or perish in the
attempt."
Allahu Akbar! That is the immovable object! I will not detail the
extreme suffering that was imposed upon the Prophet Muhammad (sws) and
his family after that; the economic boycott, the assassinationattempts
and attempted wars of extermination against the Muslims; suffice it to
say that Islampersisted and grew until it became the dominant religion
of the world. All because one man was unstoppable and immovable.
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