The Native Iowan

Tuesday afternoon here. Quite warm out, almost hot. Almost too hot. Feels like it should rain. The cloud cover is thick. Humidity at a pleasant 50%. If this is winter, I’ll take it all day long…

My olFart life style offers a lot of time to “think about things”. To ruminate… Ruminate upon today, yesterday, and tomorrow. I’m an anal planner and task-master. Admitting though, I have much less to manage than days of yore. Yet my note taking and list making continues unchecked.

I am ruminating upon past teachings and philosophies. I am thinking of “The Teaching of don Juan”. My generation was enthralled by C. Castdaneda’s body of “anthropological” works, first published in 1968.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Teachings_of_Don_Juanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Teachings_of_Don_Juan

I’m not here to discuss the veracity of C.C.’s work, rather to ruminate upon salient points of of “The Teachings” that I still use in my life, consider to be personal truths in a way…

Recently I have been thinking about, dealing with what I call a “Petty Tyrant” situation.

What, you may ask, is a Petty Tyrant?

https://suzannewagner.com/showcase/what-is-a-petty-tyrant-by-carlos-castaneda/https://suzannewagner.com/showcase/what-is-a-petty-tyrant-by-carlos-castaneda/

I like what I find on this site… explains it very well… “A petty tyrant is a tormentor. Someone who either holds the power of life and death over warriors or simply annoys them to distraction.”
~Carlos Castaneda – The Fire from Within~

I remember the concept (as purveyed in the books) that we as modern mature individuals are challenged and tested by these Tyrants around us. It comes down to self-importance. How seriously we take ourselves and how well we maintain our poise and balance in times of trial… or such is how I see it.

I always liked this thought… “My benefactor used to say that a warrior who stumbles on a petty tyrant is a lucky one.”
~Don Juan~

It’s something quite simple, yet difficult to articulate… “A petty tyrant is a person who causes distress by imposing his/her will on others using psychological pressure rather than physical force. The petty tyrant feels he may impose his will because he believes that he is a superior being and because he wants to operate from a position of authority.”

In modern times we would refer to these Tyrants as being “toxic”… “Petty tyrants are the button-pushers, the individuals that have the ability to throw things off-balance for you if you let them. Many petty tyrants are unaware that they are the cause of so much frustration. They are effective teachers because they force the warrior to closely monitor their own reactions and habitual behaviors. The result is mindfulness and the ability to shift the assemblage point, even if ever so slightly, in order to loosen the fixation to the conditioned response that causes the reaction in the first place.”

I dig the idea of benefiting from the toxic situation… “Castaneda believed that by looking at the petty tyrant through a different filter, a person could not only co-exist with a petty tyrant but also benefit from the relationship. This type of relationship would be most common in the workplace, school or other public forum when you have no choice but to be in close proximity to the petty tyrant. The challenge for the warrior is to try to consciously get along with this co-worker without being petty yourself. It’s a “rise above it” opportunity that could challenge one to the core.”

I know, nothing earth shattering. Basic common sense, eh?

Much like the plethora of self-help books that come and go like fads? My day it was the “One Minute Manager”. Common sense in common words which were useful to me “then”, and remain part of my processes… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_One_Minute_Manager

And the beat goez on…

More Later