SELF - Battle. (julian/d/copyright/ champions in us/ 2011)
The river was swollen with the monsoon rain, it held a healthly volume of water all collected from the
hills. The range of hills collected their water from springs to streams running into riverlet and then into
this swollen river. It’s breadth meassured 50 meters from one bank to the other. The first 15 feet was
shallow.
From the tree top one could see the refection of the tree on the surface of the water. This solarity tree
trunk spread over quarter the breadth of the river. The tree trunk was firmly grounded. A feet of water
covered its trunk. The main trunk spread at least 60 feet in length. The tree’s branches formed a rib of
protection. Like an umbrella hovering across the river bank.
When the children climbed the trunk with the help of its small branches, the climb was gradual and safe.
In the middle of the river the tree trunk was almost parallel to the surface of the water. The length of the
tree trunk that swayed in the afternoon breeze measured around 25 feet long. The depth to the river bed
totaled 50 feet. From the river bank one could see the swollen river and this huge tree almost kissed the
water surface, but not yet. Beautiful to see.
Climbing the tree was always a challenge. The tree trunk most of the time was wet and slippery.Many
children tried to climb the tree trunk with wet feet. Some children were sucessful at climbing the tree,
scaling its trunk and diving into the water. While other slipped and fell before they reached the middle of
the river Others crawlled the wet trunk. Those sucessfull, comfortably swam the swollen river.
Less than 60 feet of length down the river the water gathered momentum but the depth was shallow. One
could stand comfortably letting the water splash around ones knees. This feat of climbing,scaling and
swimming was fun and dangerous, but when acomplished very fullfiling.
Looking down from the tree top one could see the children’s legs swallowed by the running water. Waist
above the children were mainly dry. In the middle of the swollen river the depth measured at least 50
feet .
The older children were comfortably swimming but for those who were learning, it was embracing the
first dive and then learning to swim. No one drowned but the task of climbing the tree,scaling the trunk
and then diving into the water from 25 feet high was no small task for a beginner.
Melroy was a beginner. He was learning to swim. On three earlier occassions Melroy had attempted to
take his first dive into the water. The first occasion he managed to get his feet wet on the bank of the
river. He had heard of stories of fish nibbling at ones feet and eating the dead coarse skin off ones legs.
The thought of having some creature creep up his leg and bite at his flesh was discouraging enough leave
being an incentive to plunge into the water.
At the second attempt he started climbing the tree trunk but chicken out. Having no solid ground to stand
on to feel sure of his stance and balance, scared the hell of Melroy. He was not sure of his bearing and
where to place his feet. Climbing on a wet sliperly trunk with the possiblity of falling into the water and
hurting himself in the three feet shallow water deterred him from scaling the trunk.
The third attempt was yesterday when he climbed the trunk but slipped off the tree trunk safely cradled
by the many hands of the older students awaiting below to catch the child that fell off the tree, in the
three feet water. The water gradually got deeper as one walked to the centre of the river. The senor kids
did hope that Melroy would scale and climb at least 15 feet of the 25 feet long trunk that spread its self
over the river. Not sure of himself. Melroy closed his eyes when he managed to get to standing position.
His arms held tight onto the tree trunk. He could feel his racing chest pump against the tree trunck.
Slowly with one hand and another parrell on the trunk he lifted his body weight to balance on the other
hand and find his two legs in a sitting position. The above ritual took a while but not so long as the
progress from a siting to a standing position on this less than a foot length tree trunk. An impossible task
for Melroy but soon he gained the courage to lift his body weight to a half standing position. His body
weight got the better of him. Along with the momentum his upper body guided him so fast that he fell
straight over and into the shallow water.
Another attempt gone begging.
Today was his fourth attempt. The coach held his right hand and climbed the trunk before him. Melroy
wrapped his left hand around the tree trunk , he could smell the tree trunk since his body was stretched
out and he was almost kissing the wooden truck. With assistance of the coach he climbed the tree trunk
he was now standing almost in the middle of the river with his feet on the tree truck. His left hand
stretched out still holding tightly to the coaches right hand. He had mastered and overcome the task of
scaling the wet trunk. Moving from sitting to standing was no issue at all with the coach at his side and
he holding his hands. And although he was at arms length he was assured. His coaches voice shattered
his safety bubble “Melroy jump.”
All that Melroy could think of was water gushing through his tiny mouth. Feeling the sensation of
breathlessness and in an attempt in doing, so he opened his mouth even bigger only to allow his lungs to
get filled with even more water. The struggle of water getting into his nostrils, lungs and then coughing
of the excess water was not only a struggle but combating the very act of survival. Consuming his mind
with fear, breathing and surviving cemented his feet to the wooded trunk. His legs were so heavy with
immobility that he could not hear his coaches words, “Melroy jump”.
Sensing what might be going through the kids mind. His coach encouraged “Melroy listen carefuly, you
are in a battle with yourself for Sustaining Effective Living Forever . It is a battle with yourself. Self
growth is the option that you hope to embrace. It is not a war with yourself. A war destroys your ability
to come to terms with your fear and paralyzes your body into a freeze mode. Instead of moving from
flight to fight you get stuck in the freeze mode. A battle is one when you choose and make the choice to
be aware of your fear. You have done well in climbing the tree trunk so far. This is an accomplishment
of climbing and scaling the wet tree trunk. You have walked 25 feet on this narrow tree trunk. Now you
have to jump. The older boys are waiting below in the swollen river to hold you in case you need help
but remember they themselves are enjoying the swim. They are having a time of their lives.
Once they too battled with the height and the running water to dive into the river, just like you are doing
now. Look at me, I will be holding your hand and jumping into the water along with you. The moment
you touch the water suface the kids below will hold you and you can hold on to them till you reach the
shallow bank of the river. “
It took Melroy almost fifteen minutes, moving from fear to safety and to fear back again. From feeling the
water and feeling his feet secure on the river bed and then back again carried off his feet by the rivers
current. He kept on holding to his coaches hand and then screaming under water with his hands flailling
all over the place. With no secure hand to hold on. He played these scenario’s all in his mind. For
heavens sake he had not yet jumped into the water.
After a lot of encouragement Melroy did jump off the tree trunk. He was suspended into thin air for a
short time and then felt his body hit water. Anouncing his arrival it appeared that the water gave way to
accomodate this foriegn mass of flesh. He found his body cut through the water and then bounce back to
the suface of the water. All this time he felt the coaches hand locked in his. The moment he saw his
coaches face above the water, he panicked. He let go of his coaches hand and started splashing the water
all over the place. He was displacing water to keep his body above the water. He continued doing so for a
minute or so and realised the panic had gone he no longer feared the water. He could embrace the water.
“Move forward keep your body moving ahead” was all that he could hear from his coach. He followed
the command of his coach but more importantly he followed the will of his heart. He wanted to get to the
shallow part of the river bed. He managed to do so in ten minutes or so. After letting his hands and leg
move forward he realised he was attempting some style of swiming and getting back to solid ground on
the river back . He conquered his fear and he started Sustaining Effective Living Forever. He learned
to dive and then swim , he was off on the journey to self growth.
At the river bed with his feet in standing position he realised that the other kids were no where to be seen.
In fact they were on the other side of the river bank.
Melroy had Sustained his fear. He felt his fear , he did not run away from it as he had done on earlier
occasions. He sustained scaling the wet trunk while he climbed the tree. He came in touch with his
insecurity,his aloneless he thought, but he stood on the tree trunk. He transformed his thinking from fear
to Effective possiblities. I have my coaches advice and most important I am holding on to his hand. The
though of having the other kids help below in the water also did help.
Now he was LIVING FOREVER. Living is that transition and transformation from fear to certainity.
Certainty not of external factors being in place but the assured feeling one feels in ones ability to scale,
climb, stand , jump and swim the fear in our hearts. Living is a combination of the heart and mind acting
together. The mind directing the body into action and the heart feeling assured that the body is plunging
into uncertainity for a short while but coming out safe. With no wound or hurt to the body or mind the
heart need not panic. The fear itself is embraced not dispised or kept at arms length.
As Melroy let the water drip off his body all of his body and into the river bed, his heart was enjoying the
journey that he could attempt and try this Forever. He was not talking about his ability to scale, climb,
stand , jump and swim. He was looking forward to embracing his fear, feeling unsure and transforming
his action from panic to action and safety. Forever is one sustained when one swims through
uncertainty, it is a must, there is no susbsititute to feeling vulnerable. No second option to
transformation. No transformation lives forever. It needs to be lived again and again to build a process of
Living Forever.
This is the battle Melroy lived by SELF. Sustaining Effective Living Fore
