#163 Contrast

Balance is an important quality we struggle to find, as artists, as warriors and as humans. We are all good and bad, violent and peaceful, caring and uncaring. Without being familiar with both sides it is hard to truly know the other.

Take Jiu Jitsu, known as the gentle art, as an example. You can defend yourself in a way that is extremely merciful to your opponent and at the same time, there can be a very violent side to it. But, without knowing what sort of pain you are capable of causing it is hard to understand how forgiving you can be to your adversary.

In the same way it’s hard to see man’s capacity for good without seeing his capacity for evil. Good deeds by evil men and evil deeds by good men will always exist, with that comes the need to be familiar with both sides. A man who takes up arms to defend his house develops a greater appreciation for peace.

“The purpose of all wars is peace.” -St. Augustine