The Cracked Pot

An elderly Chinese woman had two large water pots hung on either end of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it and at the end of the long walks from the river to the house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full.

 

Every day the woman continued to bring home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

 

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the woman saying "I’m ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

 

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are vegetables and herbs on your side of the path, but not on the perfect pot's side? That's because I’ve always known about your flaw, so I planted seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. So, for two years I’ve been able to eat fresh vegetables and keep myself healthy with medicinal herbs. Without you being just the way you are, I mightn’t be here today..."

 

Each of us has our own unique flaw. Yet it's those cracks and flaws that make our lives so rich and us, so special.

 

It’s the sign of a great teacher that they can see those flaws and use them to create someone of great purpose; it’s a sign of a great student to see those flaws in themselves and in others and realise they may be an asset; and it’s the sign of a true Wushu practitioner to realise that each of us has a vital role to play, to acknowledge, to respect, to accept and to rejoice in our differences.

 

If it wasn’t for those differences, Wushu wouldn’t exist. So, if you believe you have a “crack” in your Wushu abilities, think again. It’s not a flaw, it’s a gift. So you need to look at how you can use that gift. Does that crack mean you are exceptional in one particular style of Wushu and not others; maybe you’re able to judge with a critical eye while not being able to perform yourself; you may have a gift for sharing and imparting knowledge and skills to others; or maybe you have a gift for getting a whole lot of people together on a Sunday morning to practice in the local park.

 

Take a moment to think about what you can do with the gift you’ve been given, and start using it now, and into the future. Our arts depend on you!