There is an old martial art story that I’ve heard repeated in different forms over the years, and attributed to different sources. This is a short version:
A Karate master is watching two mismatched students in sparring practice. The weaker of the two is losing the match.
The master notices that the weaker of the two resorts to using various methods to try and trick the stronger opponent into leaving openings, and to weaken his defenses and attacks. Of course, none of this works. The frustrated weaker student is still unable to defeat the stronger student.
After the training session, the master takes the student aside and asks him why he tried to trick the more advanced student, rather than mount his own strong attacks. No satisfactory answer surfaced.
The master took a pencil and drew two lines on a piece of paper, a short one and a long one.
The master told the student that the longer line represented himself, and the shorter line represented the student.
The master then asked the student how he could equalize the two lines, without using the eraser.
The student looked at the two line from various angles.
The master finally picked up the pencil and simply extended the student’s line, making it equal to the one representing himself.
The master then recounted the student’s obvious frustration and attempts at weakening his stronger opponent’s defenses earlier, effectively “reducing” the advanced student’s line, without trying to “lengthen” his.
The master then explained that the only way to improve as a martial artist is to build upon your skills, not detract others. The greater your training partner’s skills, the greater yours become if you use it to build yourself, rather than try to reduce others.
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