Tai Chi Body and Tai Chi Life
A body that is higher, faster, and stronger does not entirely equate to a long life. Especially for athletes whose goal is to break the limits of human physical capabilities, after extensive training, while their athletic abilities improve, they also plant numerous hidden dangers and sow seeds of illness. This is because human physical strength is limited, and its exertion has its boundaries. Excessive practice will inevitably harm the muscles and bones, and even if it doesn't seem apparent at first, over time, one will naturally feel the effects.
Therefore, I believe that Tai Chi is an excellent form of martial arts. It conforms to the movement laws of the human body, moving gently and slowly without forcing or pushing beyond limits. However, it can still follow the natural movement requirements of the human body. The spiral coiling and rising-falling movements effectively train various internal organs rather than destructively using them. The goal is not to increase speed by fractions of a second but to achieve greater perfection. This is one reason why I like Tai Chi. In the past, I practiced swimming, which felt very good. But after accidentally starting Tai Chi, I became so engrossed in it that I forgot about swimming. The main reason is that the force used in swimming is too abrupt; before the body is fully exercised, one is already out of breath. Tai Chi, on the other hand, never leaves you breathless, yet you still work up a sweat all over. After practicing a set of Tai Chi, one feels an indescribable sense of relief and flexibility, achieving results akin to 'moving four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.' I call this the Tai Chi Body.
However, after reading some materials, I developed a new concern about the Tai Chi Body. Some renowned Tai Chi masters were said to possess incredible skills, as evidenced by the admiration of later generations. Tai Chi indeed lived up to its reputation. But their lifespans were not particularly long, which seems disproportionate to the extraordinary skills they possessed. This is somewhat perplexing. Bodies that are unharmed and functionally superior should help extend life. Clearly, there is still a problem. Other forms of martial arts, such as external styles, may be aggressive and forceful, potentially harming the body, but Tai Chi doesn't have this drawback. Therefore, the issue must lie elsewhere. For example, some martial artists were impoverished all their lives, obsessed with boxing but unable to make a living from it, and the hardships of life caused them to pass away prematurely. Others had irascible tempers and strong personalities, making it difficult for them to handle interpersonal relationships. Their unsatisfactory moods led to their early demise, and so on. This is what puzzles me. After all, Tai Chi is fundamentally a worldview and value system, fundamentally a method and approach to dealing with problems. If the principles of Tai Chi are only applied to fists and feet, pursuing this as a single goal is certainly not wrong. However, if practicing Tai Chi does not provide more extraneous benefits to one's life path, it cannot be considered a success. Therefore, I believe that we need not only a Tai Chi Body but also a Tai Chi Life. A Tai Chi Body makes our material foundation of life better, while a Tai Chi Life ensures both mental and physical health, allowing us to act freely without overstepping boundaries.
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