Lessons from Pacquiao-Marquez 4

It's barely a week since Pacquiao's devastating loss by knockout to Marquez last December 8 in the fourth meeting between these two boxing greats. Despite some sports writers saying that the law of averages favored Marquez and that he was most likely to get a win, no one expected him to win in such decisive fashion. Marquez didn't just beat Pacquiao, he ended the fight with a punch that reverberated around the world. It would have been different if Pacquiao lost on points, but to be sent sprawling out cold on the floor is something that calls either for retirement or a rematch. So far, Pacquiao has been making noises about a rematch but only time will tell if he still has it in him.

In any case, I'm not here to focus on the fight itself but on some life lessons I've observed even in the weeks leading up to the fight. These lessons may not be obvious, but it always helps to see the lessons inherent in any situation. Once we attune ourselves to see from these different angles, we become more sensitive to the lessons that can be found in our own experiences.

Here are the few lessons that I've seen:

1. "To get something you've never had, you need to do something you've never done."

Watching HBO 24/7, a short series that followed the training and preparations of both fighters, I saw that Marquez trained like a man possessed. He was obviously the hungrier fighter.

Pacquiao also trained hard but didn't really do anything new. Marquez, on the other hand, practically overhauled his strength and conditioning program by doing plyometrics, strength training and other modern sport-specific exercises designed to increase his strength, stamina and agility. Because of Marquez's resulting physique, the issue of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) has come up. The matter is not helped by the fact that Marquez's strength and conditioning coach is Angel Hernandez, who is known to have provided PEDs to top athletes in the 1990s.

But in fairness to Marquez, when I saw him training I really thought that it was highly likely that he could hurt Pacquiao because I've seen a similar program of exercises before. Where? Among MMA fighters. We all know how extremely conditioned MMA fighters are and how explosive and powerful they are. So Marquez was basically training like an MMA fighter but with a regimen tailor-suited for boxing. Marquez had one thing and only one thing in mind: winning decisively.

It was a lot of hard work that paid off. Marquez was giving as good as he got and even floored Pacquiao in the 3rd round, something that has never happened in their previous fights.

This brings to mind the virtue of constancy and one-pointedness of aim and effort, which according to Master Choa Kok Sui is one of the important prerequisites to achieving success. I'd say Marquez had that constancy and one-pointedness in spades.

2. Anything can happen

Pacquiao was actually winning the fight before the knockout happened. This is ironic because many experts were saying that Pacquiao had too many distractions while Marquez was really focused. You have to give it to Pacquiao, he has natural power in his hands and he was really going for the kill. If Marquez had shown up with the same physique he had in their first three fights, the match probably would have ended earlier, with Marquez on the floor instead of Pacquiao.

I feel that if the match had reached the 7th or 8th round, Pacquiao probably would have knocked Marquez out or at least earned a TKO. Marquez already had a broken nose and the problem with that is that it makes it hard to breathe. This affects the stamina and power of a fighter and it would only have been a matter of time considering the type of bombs Pacquiao was throwing at Marquez.

There are those who say that it was a "lucky punch" that did Pacquiao in, while others insist that it was no lucky punch but Marquez's skills as a counterpuncher that caused the knockout. I feel the truth is somewhere in between. According to some accounts I've read, when Pacquiao threw that fateful one-two punch and missed, he also happened to step on Marquez's foot. So aside from moving forward, Pacquiao was also off-balance and vulnerable at that moment. The luck part comes from the opening that presented itself practically on a platter to Marquez. The skill part is that Marquez was able to capitalize on the split-second opportunity to throw the "perfect punch" that spelled lights out for Pacquiao.

A quote attributed to Tony Robbins says, "Goals are like magnets. They attract the things that make them come true." Marquez so badly wanted to win. Did this desire perhaps manifest itself in the opening that made the knockout punch possible? Sometimes, life simply gives you the opportunity to get what you desire. And then it's up to you to use your skills and capabilities to follow through on that opportunity.

3. There are other arenas in life

Many sports writers have stated that Pacquiao has too many distractions. From a huge entourage, his duties as a congressman and politician, showbiz commitments and advertising endorsements, all of these eat up a lot of time and effort. Even the time he spends on Bible study was said to have affected his focus on training. Boxing experts have reiterated that boxing is a jealous sport. You need to give it your whole attention or you face defeat in the ring.

One writer even questioned whether Pacquiao still had his killer instinct. Pacquiao had given up gambling, womanizing and late night partying but while this is better for Pacquiao's health and future, the writer states that the same qualities that make a boxer a champion are those same qualities that lead boxers to engage in these vices. Supposedly, even boxers who banked on their clean image, like Oscar dela Hoya, admitted to having infidelities and other vices such as drug use. If you give up on these vices, then it's like you're giving up one important quality that led you to the top.

While the writer's opinions are hard to prove, the fact is that Pacquiao lost. However, while he may have lost in the ring, consider what Pacquiao has gained outside the ring: better health, wiser use of money, a saved marriage and peace of mind through a closer relationship with God. In my book, it seems Pacquiao already won the fights that matter most.

4. So what?

At the end of the day, we still need to ask ourselves: so what? Even if Pacquiao had won, aside from feeling good for a while, what bearing does it have towards one's development as a person, one's relationships with others, one's spiritual development and many other pressing issues that need our personal attention and effort?

Taken into perspective, whatever rivalry Pacquiao and Marquez have (or had), it's between the two of them. It's not our rivalry, it wasn't us in the ring, it wasn't us who sweated it out to train hard everyday for several weeks. And yet, because they are famous, it's easy to attach ourselves to their particular drama. Of course, Pacquiao lost and it's normal to feel sad, but again, it doesn't change the fact that we do have our own lives to work on without getting worked up about the lives of other people, no matter how famous they are.

And I feel that's the pitfall most of us are facing now. We identify with the lives of famous people, sometimes to the point of having our lives revolve around the issues these famous people have to the neglect of our own issues. If the famous person was an eminent spiritual guru it wouldn't be as bad, but right now a lot of people adore rock stars, singers and showbiz people. They're not necessarily bad people, but their lives are not the ideal for emulation either.

We can learn lessons from others' victories or trials, but we should always remember that it's our lives that we need to live, not that of others. In this time of great transition this becomes even more important as people will be put in varying situations that force them to introspect themselves.

Again, balance is the key. We should be careful against becoming too self-absorbed. Mundane situations can also hold profound lessons, which is why I chose a boxing match to feature in this article. This is why a certain level of mindfulness in our lives would work wonders as we seek to better ourselves.

The Soul Purpose of Your Life

I recently came upon the following quote by George Burns: "I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." Does this statement strike a chord in you or does it sound like so much bovine manure? After all, how can you fail if you're doing something you love? Conversely, how can you succeed at something you hate?

However, the answer depends on how one defines success and failure. These days, the majority of people equate "success in life" with financial and material success. And that's how you may find financially successful individuals who are miserable at their jobs. They don't like what they're doing, but they're good at it and it pays the bills, so that's what they have to keep on doing. Many people stop themselves from doing what they love simply for the reason that what they love doing may not earn them the money needed to be successful in the way society defines it.

In the book Total Kabbalah by Maggy Whitehouse there is a chapter on how to discover one's soul purpose. According to Ms. Whitehouse, people who follow their soul purpose achieve a certain amount of satisfaction and fulfillment even if their lives become challenging because of it. Kabbalah in conjunction with astrology can provide important clues as to what type of calling would be consistent with one's soul purpose.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life is composed of ten sefirot arranged in a particular pattern. Within this pattern, certain sefirot are connected to others by lines (refer to the image). The way these lines are connected, you can form a triangle among certain sefirot with a sefira at each corner of a particular triangle. This triangular grouping is called a "triad."

The particular triad we are interested in is called the Soul Triad. The interactions between the sefirot in this triad can give a clue as to what your soul purpose may be. The soul triad is composed of Gevurah-Tiferet-Chesed. Next comes the astrology part.

Each sefira has a planetary correspondence. In this case, Gevurah corresponds to Mars, Tiferet with the Sun and Chesed with Jupiter. Tiferet reflects your Sun sign. Your soul's strengths and weaknesses can be found in your Mars and Jupiter. As an example, I will quote directly from Total Kabbalah:

A sun in Virgo with Mars in Scorpio and Jupiter in Libra indicates someone focused on service, accuracy, and health (Virgo). This person can see right to the root of a problem through any illusion and is willing to act to destroy or save where appropriate (Scorpio); he or she has the ability to balance all points of view and find the most harmonious outcome (Libra). This soul triad would indicate a person whose soul's purpose was to discover and heal inner problems - whether as a psychiatrist, healer or surgeon.

Now comes the stickler. The sun sign is easy enough to find out since it's the sign corresponding to one's birth date. However, the Mars and Jupiter in sign needs a full astrological chart to determine, and skilled astrologers can be quite pricey or even hard to find.

Have no fear, because the site Cafe Astrology provides a free natal chart service. Just follow the simple steps and take note of the results. When the natal chart comes out, simply zero in on the Mars and Jupiter in signs to find out their characteristics. The site also has specific pages explaining each planet in sign. Of course, interpreting all three to come out with a conclusion about what career or life path best suits you is still a tricky thing.

Let's now relate this to pranic healing, since this may help shed more light on the interpretation of results. In pranic healing, the different sefirot also correspond to the chakras. Gevurah refers to the solar plexus chakra, Tiferet to the navel chakra and Chesed with the heart chakra. Psychologically, the solar plexus pertains to the lower drive, lower emotions and concern for what benefits the self. The heart chakra represents the higher emotions, the higher drives and concern for what benefits others. The navel chakra is a storehouse of energy and represents lower intuition, the gut feel.

Your Mars in sign, representing Gevurah or the solar plexus chakra, can give you a clue as to what drives you, how you express or go for the things you desire for yourself. Your Jupiter in sign, representing Chesed or the heart chakra, can give you an idea of how you express your desire to help others. Your sun sign, representing Tiferet or the navel chakra, can give you an idea of what motivates you or keeps you going. The interactions of these three can therefore help you gain insight on what would most likely give you fulfillment.

The above methods are not the last word on the subject of discovering one's soul purpose, of course. However, it gives one a chance to align with that purpose in an organized manner. Only you can say if the results resonate with your or not. The important thing is to make the effort, because the more we can attune with our soul and our purpose in life, the more at peace we will be with ourselves and with others. Regret is such a heavy burden to bear, so try not to let it get to that point.