Alpha Warrior by Aimee Thurlo

Author:Aimee Thurlo
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-01-29T23:00:00+00:00

TIME PASSED, AND AS the day surrendered to the night, they found a chessboard in a hall closet and played several games. Nick and she were well matched, but Nick called it quits after they’d each won two games. “It’s more balanced this way,” he said.

“Balance…you’ve mentioned that before. That’s an important part of Navajo teachings, isn’t it?”

He nodded. “Navajos are taught that everything has two sides, and for there to be harmony, balance has to be achieved. Evil needs good to keep it in check, and good needs evil to remind it of its purpose. It’s that way with everything—day and night, even man and woman.”

“How does that apply to a man and a woman? A woman does not need a man to make it in the world, or vice versa.”

“What I spoke about doesn’t refer to an individual’s ability to face life’s challenges. It’s meant in a more universal sense. The Navajo Way teaches that harmony requires a woman’s promise and a man’s strength and power. Neither can walk in beauty without the other. There’s a story about First Man and First Woman that illustrates the point.”

Silence stretched out as he gathered his thoughts. When he continued at long last, his voice held an almost mystical, mesmerizing quality, reminiscent of an ancient storyteller, before the time of written language.

“In the beginning, First Man and First Woman had many arguments. One day, First Woman told First Man that women could get along just fine without men. First Man assured her that men didn’t need women either. So the men and women separated. Nothing went right after that, and every day things got worse. After many trials, they grew to understand that neither was complete without the other. Men and women each brought something unique to the relationship, and accepting the balance in that was part of walking in beauty.”

She sighed softly. “Your tribe’s culture gives you something tangible to hold on to, beliefs that can sustain you. You’re lucky to be part of that.”

“The Navajo Way makes sense even to those who aren’t Navajo, but too many in the Anglo world dismiss it as superstition without stopping to think about the deeper meaning of the lessons.”

“But where do you stand? I remember you once said that you’re a modernist?”

“That’s precisely what I am. I accept the wisdom of the old stories, but I prefer to rely on myself and deal with the here and now.”

“But an outlook like that limits you, too. The best things in life can’t be seen or touched—compassion, unselfishness, love. Or if you want to stick to the undeniable necessary—think of oxygen. You know you’re getting enough because you’re still standing there, but you can’t see oxygen.”

He smiled. “But if it wasn’t there, my lungs would be quick to tell me. It’s measurable and that’s good enough for me.”

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