Defeat

“DEFEAT”

Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

You are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

And sweeter to my heart than all world glory.

Lao Tzu once told his friends that he had never been defeated by anyone in his life. There was silent disbelief. Then they asked him to tell them the secret of why no one could defeat him, because they also didn’t want to be defeated by anyone. But Lao Tzu started laughing loudly and he said, “I will not tell the maxim to the wrong people.”

They asked, “How are we wrong? You must tell us how we too may never be defeated.”

Lao Tzu said, “You are bound to be defeated, because one who does not want to be defeated has already invited defeat. This is my maxim: No one could ever defeat me because I never wanted to win. Only he who wants to win can be defeated.” This maxim is not to be taken negatively. What Lao Tzu describes here is as beautiful as he says when you work, work with joy and do not take the load of winning in your heart, which will eventually follow a joyful work. In such a kind of situation even if one is defeated that becomes so close to his heart where he can find the perfect aloneness and not loneliness.

Defeat, my Defeat, my self-knowledge and my defiance,

Through you I know that I am yet young and swift of foot

And not to be trapped by withering laurels.

And in you I have found aloneness

And the joy of being shunned and scorned.

The perfect freedom is not when you get freedom from someone, but when you are free in yourself. When someone hands over the freedom to me I am always under him and there are all the possibilities for him to get it back at anytime. When you are free in yourself the shunning and contemning never affect you. You may be in the midst’s of a thousand yet alone.

Defeat, my Defeat, my shining sword and shield,

In your eyes I have read

That to be enthroned is to be enslaved,

And to be understood is to be levelled down,

And to be grasped is but to reach one’s fullness

And like a ripe fruit to fall and be consumed.

I would like to share a beautiful story of the Greek sage as expressed by Osho. Diogenes is passing through a forest. He is naked, walking fearlessly like a lion walks. Some people who are engaged in slave-trade happen to see Diogenes. They are tempted by his powerful physique. It is really splendid, as splendid as that of Mahavira. It is no wonder that both Mahavira and Diogenes discard clothes and live naked; they have such beautiful bodies that they alone can

afford to go naked. Although the slave-traders are eight in number, they are very afraid of Diogenes who looks so powerful. It would be difficult for them to overpower and capture him.

In fact, one who wants to overpower another person is essentially a weak and fear-stricken person. Only a fearful person wants to frighten and dominate others just to assuage his own fear. A really fearless person never tries to dominate others. He loves everybody’s freedom as much as he loves his own. A fearful man is always afraid that if he does not dominate others, others will dominate him. This is the psychology of all wars. That’s why Machiavelli says in his book THE PRINCE, that to be on the offensive is the best defense.

So the traders are afraid of Diogenes, but their greed is equally strong. A slave like Diogenes would fetch a fabulous price in the slaves’ market. After much discussion among themselves, they decide to make an attempt. Prepared for a good fight, they surround him from all sides, but Diogenes confounds them in a strange way. They would not have been surprised if he had resisted them. They were well-prepared for it. But instead they find Diogenes standing quietly and serenely in his place with not a trace of fear or agitation on his face. He folds hands and giggles, saying, ”What do you want? What is your intention?”

The merchants are embarrassed and hesitatingly tell him that they wanted to capture and enslave him. Diogenes laughs and says, ”Why make such a fuss about it? You are fools; you should have just asked me and I would have agreed. I have been watching you anxiously discussing and preparing an elaborate plan which is all useless. Where are the handcuffs? Take them out of your bags. And here are my hands.” Saying this he stretches his two hands to them. His captors are amazed, and their confusion is worse. They have never seen such a man, shouting at them, ”Where are the handcuffs? Take them out of your bags!” And he speaks as if he is the master and they are his slaves.

With great hesitation and fear they take out a pair of handcuffs and put them on Diogenes’ hands, saying, ”It is something incredible. The way you have put yourself in our hands is unbelievable. You baffle us.

What Diogenes says to them is significant. He says, ”I have learned the secret of freedom, which is to become a slave on my own. Now no one can rob me of my freedom. You have no way to enslave me.”

Then they chain him and with one end of the chain in their hands, they march him to the slave

market. Diogenes then says, ”Why carry a heavy chain in your hands unnecessarily? Don’t you see I am going with you on my own accord? Take off the chains so we walk with ease, and take care that you don’t run away before we reach the marketplace. And rest assured, I am not going to escape.” The merchants soon remove the chains, because they know in their heart of hearts what kind of man he is. He has voluntarily surrendered himself to them. There is no use putting fetters on one who has given his hands for handcuffing without their asking.

Diogenes walks at their head as if a king is marching with his retinue.There is not a trace of fear on his face, while his captors look like his captives. He looks so charismatic that wherever he goes all eyes are turned on him. Pointing to his captors, Diogenes tells the spectators, ”What are you looking for? They are all my slaves. And although they are not in chains yet, they cannot nm away from me. They are so found to me.” The merchants are really crestfallen.

At long last they arrive at the marketplace where slaves are bought and sold. The leader of the

gang approaches the market manager saying, ”We have a strange man to sell, and sell as soon as possible. Otherwise all of us will be in trouble. He tells everyone that he is the master and we are all his slaves, because we are so bound to him that we cannot run away from him. And it is true, we cannot leave him, because he is going to fetch a fabulous price for us.”

Diogenes immediately mounts the dock meant for slaves to be auctioned and stands there with the dignity of a king. Then the manager shouts, ”Here is a great slave for sale; whosoever has enough money should bid for him.”

Diogenes first shouts at the manager, ”Shut up, if you don’t know how to sell a master.” Then he

says to the bidders, ”Here is a master for sale; whosoever can afford a master should bid for him.”

Defeat, my Defeat, my bold companion,

You shall hear my songs and my cries and my silences,

And none but you shall speak to me of the beating of wings,

And urging of seas,

And of mountains that burn in the night,

And you alone shall climb my steep and rocky soul.

Defeat, my Defeat, my deathless courage,

You and I shall laugh together with the storm,

And together we shall dig graves for all that die in us,

And we shall stand in the sun with a will,

And we shall be dangerous.

This poem was taken from Khalil Gibran collections