Resistance is fertile

Resistance is not only about battling the forces of darkness. It is about becoming a whole and complete human being. It is about overcoming estrangement. It is about the capacity to love. It is about honoring the sacred. It is about dignity. It is about sacrifice. It is about courage. It is about being free. Resistance is the pinnacle of human existence.

Chris Hedges

Fighting has a bad rap it seems. Every day we’re counseled to go with the flow, adapt, get along, compromise, and otherwise give up our resistance to the myriad injustices and atrocities in the world around us. Just learn to live with things as they are and all will be well, we’re told. The sooner we learn to adapt, the happier everyone will be. Just be the change and all will be well.

And to be sure, there’s plenty of good reason for our concern. Fighting, especially the overt forms of violence that humans perpetrate on one another and the natural world is destructive, wasteful, and counter-productive to everyone involved. When practiced with untrained impulsivity, powered by dogma, fighting can destroy lives, both human and non-human. It’s no wonder we try to avoid the whole thing.

But what if we’re wrong about all of this? What if fighting is actually a driver of human creativity? What if it makes us stronger? What if it also brings out some of our best, most humane, most creative behaviors? And what if fighting can actually make us whole?

This is a foundational principle in many martial art teachings around the world. Yes, conflict is inevitable, so let’s get good at it. Let’s become more skillful in our engagements. Let’s use the experience to become more well-rounded human beings. Instead of resisting conflict, let’s harness it to make us better, more effective people.

This embrace of conflict helps us grow because engagement challenges our creative powers. Conflict puts us into situations of ambiguity, uncertainty, and stress. It forces us into dilemmas and uncharted territories. In the process, it challenges the human body to generate new ideas and behaviors. Just as with athletic training, engagement and stress speak to the body; in turn, the body responds in spectacular fashion, producing new connections that facilitate adaptation.

In contrast, inactivism is a barren, impoverished way to live. By avoiding challenge and conflict, we deprive ourselves of a vital stimulus for creativity. Not only does inactivism fail to move the needle on the vital issues of our time, it also fails to stimulate our personal growth. Without challenge, the entire mind-body-spirit begins to go dormant, apathetic and ultimately, irrelevant.

So yes, learn to fight. Fight with sophistication. Fight with a strong spirit and intention. Fight for your purpose and most especially, fight for the life-supporting systems that sustain us. You may suffer along the way, but your suffering will have meaning, meaning that will move you towards adaptability and personal power.