Dead Air

Sometimes during training we’ll put some music on, other times we’ll put on talk radio. When training at home we all indulge in a bit of background TV. Of course we enjoy training in beautiful and energy rich outdoor spaces. But none of our training is austere and boring, we’re all closer to surf bums than monks.

One of the golden rules of radio appears to be the avoidance of dead air, that is when due to a technical glitch they cease to broadcast leaving the listener wondering if their radio is working and potentially prompting them to switch stations. It may also be due to a miscommunication between presenters, or a meltdown of a single presenter. This brings back memories of the early days of teaching, when despite having decades of knowledge and experience there was always a background thought that maybe we would run out of things to say or do. This was classic imposter syndrome, and the plan was if this became crippling to just rotate through some zhan zhuang postures. This would provide the stillness to think or at the least fill some time, kind of a physical embodiment of the old tv test card.

When we listen to talk radio what often prompts us to turn it off is this false sense of urgency they create, always racing towards the next link or guest. It’s incredibly annoying and the antithesis of podcasts. Who knows why there is such a rush, they’re broadcasting 24/7! We suspect it may be to avoid getting to the truth, because when a guest or caller starts to speak the truth then the sense of urgency to cut them off and get to the “news” or another article becomes all the more pressing.

And this is why Tai Chi is so awesome; when you take your time, you find the truth.