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Not until one died did one know the value of each action. And sometimes, not even then.
Fire caught his eye, glowing as it did like the heat of a furnace. Fire always climbed, always searched for greater heights. Ambitious, dangerous, aggressive. Yet necessary for the everyday elements of life, giving warmth, passion, and life. Unable to exist on its own, it eventually burned away,
Earth. Located at the top, its words dull but solid. The central direction and the precursor to each change of seasons. Without the stability of this element, the elements
would fall apart. Earth’s roots held everything together, forming the basis of the middle kingdom. The sta...
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Metal next, because metal was contained by earth. Hard, unyielding, only giving way under the greatest of pressures. Necessary for all life, yet too much and it wo...
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Metal was what you used to carry water, that contained the fluid element in useable form. Wisdom came from water, from understanding that even the calmest lake could have hidden depths. Movement without movement, peaceful but ...
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Water was needed, carried by metal to feed the last element—wood. Not just trees, but plant life itself. Wood was the element that dug into the earth, splitting it apart with the inexorable nature of life, changing it. Strong, fle...
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A life without challenges, without some level of mess, was just a carefully cultivated rice plant waiting for another to harvest it. Challenges were what made humans grow stronger.
Wind is borne of fire and wood, a sub-element of both. You cannot have wind without either. You are stronger in your wood affinity than fire, meaning your wind is much stronger and less prone to sudden conflagrations.”
Why was it that the richer or more powerful one was, the more barriers one created between oneself and others? If isolating yourself was the price of power, did strength then make you weak and alone? If you were alone due to fear of those around you, did you not turn away from another form of enlightenment?
Leverage, edge, positioning, distance, and timing played a larger role in the techniques of swordsmanship than having a second blade.
