"Okay, I've had just about enough of this!"
"I understand," said the wizard calmly. "You're frustrated."
"Oh, I'm more than just frustrated! And I'm not answering any more questions!"
"Understood!" the wizard noted. "Now you are expressing anger. That is a natural and healthy emotional response to challenges."
"Challenges?" shouted the tanguero incredulously. "Is that what you call it? Being assaulted and hung over the edge of the bridge?"
"He didn't assault you."
"Yes he did! And then he nearly threw me into the river!"
"Well, that doesn't really happen," the wizard said. "Not very often, anyway."
"Well, whatever you want to call it - whatever game you two are playing - it just isn't right!"
"What isn't right?"
"Keeping me here against my will."
"We are not keeping you here," the wizard asserted.
"You mean that I'm free to go?" demanded the dancer.
"Well, not exactly."
"So you ARE keeping me here!"
"No, we are not keeping you here," said the wizard. "You are."
"You just said that I'm not free to go."
"And you assumed that we were the ones who were keeping you from progressing forward."
"This is crazy!" exclaimed the exasperated tango enthusiast.
"It is not crazy at all," explained the wizard. "You simply have not grasped the essential truth of your current situation. That is why we are here: to explain to you the natural order of things."
"The natural order of things?" the tango dancer asked coldly. "You mean that wizards and ogres are powerful, so they can push people around."
The wizard ignored the dancer's comment. "You said to us a moment ago that it wasn't right for us to hold you back."
"Yes. It's not right. It's unacceptable."
"Well then, would it be acceptable for us to let you proceed?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" demanded the dancer angrily.
"Because," answered the wizard, "as I mentioned, there is a natural order of things. And the natural order determines what we can and cannot do. A farmer cannot grow a crop in a week, no matter how hard he works in his fields. His efforts will be futile."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"You are progressing on your tango path," the wizard continued. "You have put in a good effort, and you have made significant progress. You should be proud of what you have accomplished thus far."
"Thank you ... I think."
"But your journey is like that of a mariner. When the mariner raises his sails, the wind pushes him forward. But that wind will not last forever. There will be times when he has to change the direction of his sails in order to keep going."
"So, you're telling me that in order to continue, I need to change something."
"Very good!" exclaimed the wizard. "You are catching on quickly!"
The wizard pointed toward the ogre. "Do you see my large friend here?"
"Yes," replied the tanguero. "We've met."
"The ogre is not here to harm you or discourage you. He is here to remind you that progress comes at a price. You are certainly willing to move forward on your tango path. But first you must pay the price."
"Okay, what price?"
"You must answer our question."
"Which one?" asked the dancer. "I mean, I'm not sure which one you're talking about now."
"We wanted you to tell us how you plan to overcome the limitations that you discussed with the first wizard."
"Oh, right."
"It is important to understand your limitations," the wizard continued, "but you also need to develop a plan to address them. Otherwise, the knowledge that you gained on the other side of the bridge will not serve your greater purpose of becoming a better dancer."
"Okay, I understand," said the tango enthusiast. "So, you're telling me that if I can come up with a plan to address my weaknesses, that I can move forward."
"That is exactly what I am saying. But it must be a plan based on an effective strategy. Continuing to do what you have done in the past is not an effective strategy. That's why the ogre reacted the way that he did."
"All right, I understand that," said the dancer. "And I did try to come up with some suggestions, but you didn't like any of them."
"Oh, that's not quite right," argued the wizard. "Actually, we hated them."
"Well, do you have any suggestions?"
"We are not the dancers," the wizard answered cryptically. "You are."
"So, you're telling me that I have to come up with the plan all by myself?"
"It will work best if you are the originator of the plan," explained the wizard. "If someone else comes up with the plan, you can dismiss it when it starts to become challenging. Then you'll wander off and look for someone who will tell you what you want to hear. That won't get you very far, I'm afraid."
"But how am I supposed to come up with a plan to address things that I don't know?" demanded the tanguero.
"Your plan can include consultations with experts, but ultimately, you are responsible. Think it through. Come up with some ideas for each of the weaknesses that the other wizard highlighted. What is the most sensible way to address each one? What steps would you take if you absolutely had to make progress?"
"But what if my plan doesn't work?"
"You'll need to evaluate your progress. If you're not reaching your goals, make adjustments to the plan and try again."
"And that's it?"
"Give us a high level plan now, and we'll send you on your way."
The tango enthusiast took a deep breath. "Okay, so for the technique and the quality of movement, I think I should practice specific movements until they become smoother. And I can use video to get feedback. Is that okay?"
The wizard looked toward the ogre for a second then turned back toward the tanguero. "I think so. He doesn't look angry."
"Okay, and for the musicality, I'm going to watch videos of good tango performances to get some ideas. And I'll set up a consultation with a teacher who specializes in this area."
"Very good!"
"Really?"
"Really."
"For improvisation, that's going to be tough," admitted the tango enthusiast. "I guess I'll start by combining the steps that I know in different ways. Maybe I'll write down sequences of steps in combinations that I haven't tried before and see if that helps."
"That sounds like a good start," said the wizard.
"As for the followers, I guess the main thing is to pay attention to them and make sure that they're comfortable. My embrace has to be comfortable and give them enough room to take their steps. I need to make sure that I'm always moving in time with the music. And I'll avoid steps that any particular lady struggles to follow."
"Excellent!" exclaimed the wizard.
"Is he happy?" asked the dancer nodding toward the ogre.
"Oh, he's never happy."
"I see."
"You have done well with this exercise," the wizard said proudly. "I wish you the best as you commit yourself to the work that you have outlined. If you follow your plan, I am confident that you will make excellent progress."
"Thank you," said the tanguero. "Now that I know what you were trying to do, well, I'm sorry about some of the things that I said."
"No matter!" said the wizard. "Let me just leave you with one parting thought.
"This is not the last ogre that you will encounter along your tango path. The ones that you meet in the future will be just as merciless and uncompromising as the ones that you met today. They will demand a price from you. If you attempt to move forward without paying that price, they will knock you down and frustrate you. And hear me well - an ogre never tires of giving out punishment.
"When you meet the ogres in your future, resist the natural inclination to become frustrated. Instead, stop. Take your time. Assess the situation. Think carefully about what is being asked of you in that moment, and focus all of your concentration on devising a solution. The solution doesn't have to be perfect, but it must be rational, and it must and show promise. If the ogre doesn't like your solution, he will not let you pass.
"You can't barter with an ogre. You can't cheat. You can't charm him, you can't trick him, and you can't argue your way past him without paying the price that he specifies. There are no shortcuts on your tango path. But there are infinite magical possibilities waiting for you ... if you're willing to work for them."
¡Buena suerte amigos, y muchas gracias!
Daniel
Copyright © 2015 The Exploring Tango Blog
All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment