One is a lonely number
Published: Wed, 01/29/14
I managed to burn a MP4 video file to a dvd disc this morning. And
it plays on my pc laptop running Ubuntu. Okay, bully for me, that
hardly compares with cracking the Enigma code or inventing the
internet. I am pleased though. I have been making DVDs of Stav
training for years and managing to burn them to disc using Roxio on
one computer and IDVD on another and just recently both have
stopped working. Which means that I can't produce DVDs even if
someone asks for one. I had a few in stock but those have gone
now. Yes I did look up the error messages online, ask for advice,
read the manual etc but I couldn't sort it out. I expect
someone somewhere can but I don't know who that might be and
there is a limit to the amount of time I am willing to spend
sorting out a problem which, as far as I am concerned, should not
have occurred in the first place. The real problem is that I have
been promising a new member a copy of the member's DVD and I
have not been able to produce it and it was getting embarrassing
having to say that I couldn't get either of the Macs to
actually produce a DVD. But this morning I do have a DVD I can
give him which can be watched on a computer, I don't think it
would play on a TV. I am evaluating a new authoring programme
which should take care of that problem too.
In life one is a very dangerous number, if you rely on just one of
anything or anyone you are asking for trouble. Businesses that
come to rely on one form of marketing can come unstuck in a big
way. There was a case in the media last year where a firm which
dealt with a regional tourist market came unstuck because Google
changed their policy on Search Engine Optimization. Overnight
their internet traffic dried up and there was no other form of
advertising in place. If you are a business that relies on just one
customer you are going to have a nasty shock one day when your
sole customer closes down or simply stops using you. Or is can be
as basic as relying on just one means of transport, or just one
method of communication. Life is unpredictable and you should
always have a plan B.
One of the things that attracted me to Stav training and why I have
stuck with practicing and teaching it for over 20 years now is that
the Five Principles concept is very much about having alternatives
even in very difficult situations. If your training has
conditioned you to stand and fight every time you find yourself in
a conflict situation you may well find yourself in serious trouble.
Even walking away should not be your only option. The important
thing is to be able to evaluate a situation and then effectively
choose the most sensible option. If your first choice proves
unworkable then it should be simple to switch to the alternative.
Once you get past the basics this is what you learn in Stav
training. We practice as if for combat but in fact most of the
time the principles are simply ways of evaluating everyday
circumstances and then acting so that the situation is peacefully
resolved to everyone's satisfaction.
If you would like to see how this works for you then see
http://www.iceandfire.org/wetraining.html for weekend training
opportunities this Spring.
regards
Graham
PS If you haven't seen it before there is a video showing a
demonstration of the Five Principles as Knife defence here
http://iceandfire.org.uk/train.html, it is towards the bottom of
the page.