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about me: Hello! I am an Undergraduate of Anthropology, working in social services in undeserved communities. I was born into a life of education, and as a college student, I find it hard to reconcile the Way, the water-like path, with the ambitious, competitive nature of higher education, especially in demanding and complex sciences like medicine, and anthropology. Often the internal qualities cultivated through higher education(skill, breadth of knowledge, wisdom-over time-) are exploited for worldly affects (higher pay/funding, access to better research or resources) As it happens, I find that my studies and intended career deal in the profound matters concerning the health and lives of communities. I am interested in understanding the harmony of communities, and helping Where it is appropriate, However I am firstly interested in true harmony within, and then in the balance without. I often feel that my pursuit of interests, skill, and knowledge contradict my conviction to live harmoniously, within and without, BUT, I also wonder whether I am destined, in some way, to pursue the course laid out for me by my birth, interests, and apparent strengths. There are many texts with references to this problem--i.e. Zhuang Zi's denial of court positions, or Confucius' concerns about virtue and socio-economic status-- But is there anyone who can give me a fresh, living view of this? I ask is being born into a life of [access to] education --- like being born to a wealthy family--- a privilege to be embraced or shunned? can a life in higher education can be harmonious? ​if so: Can skills or positions gained through higher education be a harmonious influence on a community?

Hi all, We all know about the principle of relaxation in meditative and chi-cultivating disciplines. We've all felt the profound benefits of relaxation. However, although many of us are learning from masters who are advanced in age, a lot of us are young and full of energy, vigor, and speed. So I want to get some opinions on this: how do you resolve the contradictory disciplines of relaxed power and peak performance (demanding as much as you can from yourself, getting high performance in your life overall, not just physically but mentally, working long hours, pushing yourself to achieve goals, etc) ? For example, I love the "ideal" of going to bed early and waking up several hours before dawn to practice my chi kung, forms, and meditation. It seems extremely sensible to sync my sleep schedule with the sun. But often when I wake early and have a great day, I've gotten so much momentum that I'm still amped come sundown, and I realize I could work (or play) for 12 more hours. But this goes against the precepts of just taking it easy, and this is tough for me, because we live in a world where the 70% rule doesn't really cut it. For most of us we have to rolling out the 110% power. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear how other peak performance people synthesize these seemingly opposite ideas.