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YIN DOLMAH YIN DOLMAH

YIN DOLMAH TRUST Trust as well as issues pertaining to faith tend to be private matters which are seldom discussed in public. My greatest lesson on faith and Trust did not come from the usual source such as a house of worship as most people would expect but from my elementary school teacher with whom I maintained regular contact. His name is Raphael. Raphael and I developed a close bond when he taught me in elementary school. A bond which continued throughout my life. We call to check on each other as often as possible. It had been a while since I talked to Raphael because I was traveling quite a bit on business matters. Raphael knew when I was due back in town so he called me three days after I arrived back home. “What’s up traveler?” he began. “What’s up?” I responded. I was not even going to scold him for calling me ‘traveler’. I talked to him previously about calling me ‘chaos’. A name he gave me when I was in elementary school due to my unusually high affinity for accidents. He is definitely deep, intelligent and smart so if he still chooses to call me ‘traveler’ instead of Yin which is my name, let sleeping dogs lie, I thought to myself. “How is business at CodWin going?” he asked. “So so,” I replied. “Too many things that will baffle even a cyclone,” I continued.

YIN DOLMAH “Things are getting so out of hand even the now retired founder of the company relocated to Germany because he could not stand to see the madness of what had become of his beautiful symphony.” “So why do you continue to stay in the madness? because of the money? the wealth?” Raphael enquired. I did not answer him, so he continued: “Seek wisdom Yin, and wealth will follow. Wisdom brings contentment to its bearer. Wealth brings trouble and pain to those who have it when it does not come with wisdom. Wealth through wisdom begins with trust Yin. When you say you trust someone, what does it mean? Do you wake up one fine day and trust someone? Are there a series of things a person must do before you trust them? Are there levels of trust? What happens when you place trust in the wrong person? How do you determine when to trust? Do you observe a person’s actions and assume based on the person’s actions that their intent aligns congruently with their actions? I once encountered a young man who did not drink wine or smoke tobacco like the rest of the young men in his town. Many ascribed his abstinence from alcohol and tobacco to incredible self-control. I would often hear some of the women in the town refer to this young man as a model of good character and encouraged their own sons to emulate him.

YIN DOLMAH I was surprised when this young man told me his reason for abstaining from alcohol and tobacco. He told me he desired both substances just as much as his friends but anytime he tried to consume them, he came down with the most severe allergic reaction. His allergies were so bad to the extent that he painfully gave up something he wished he could enjoy socially with his friends. Not many people knew this. Many ascribed self-control to his abstinence not knowing the young man had different reasons for his abstinence. Bad things happen when trust is placed in the wrong person. An excellent example regarding the importance of placing trust in the right person lies in a situation which occurred in ancient Egypt and it involved one of its Pharaohs. As great as the Pharaohs were, one of them caused great suffering and pain to his people. There arose one of the Pharaohs who lacked knowledge and perspective regarding a pivotal aspect of Egyptian history. How someone could ascend the high seat of Pharaoh without the most basic knowledge of the history of his kingdom is baffling. Was he an import brought in by corrupt officials from the Pharaohs court? Was the rightful person who should have been Pharaoh kidnapped and hidden somewhere never to be heard of again?

YIN DOLMAH Whoever this person was that became Pharaoh, brought Egypt to its knees by visiting upon them unspeakable plagues and tragedies culminating in the deaths of the first-born Egyptian children. The lack of perspective and knowledge of history by this apology of a Pharaoh, eventually wiped out and obliterated the entire Egyptian army. What I tell you might seem extreme but that is what can happen when trust is placed in the wrong person. You do not give up on that which you trust, and that is why it is very important to know that whatever you place your trust in is worthy of that trust. There is no art or science that I am aware of for determining when to trust someone. For many people, trust is cultivated over time. Trust evolves by observing someone over a long period of time and seeing consistent behavior from that person which points towards reliability. We tend to trust that which consistently produces an expected result. When we experience the expected result over a long period of time, trust becomes natural. We tend to also trust that which has a reputation. We may not personally know the object of our trust but as long as other people we hold in high regard show trust in that thing, we tend to be more inclined to trust as well.

YIN DOLMAH Trust gives us confidence that we will see the result we seek even if the expected result is not readily evident. Take for example, a bucket of water placed on a fire stove. As the fire heats the water, the temperature of the water rises commensurately with the applied heat. That is the expected outcome. The temperature of the water continues to rise until it gets to a certain temperature called the boiling point. At the boiling point, the water no longer increases in temperature even with the added heat. Why is that? We expected to see the continuous rise in temperature with applied heat. That is what we trusted to see. So, what is this thing we are suddenly seeing regarding the temperature no longer rising with the added heat? The reason the temperature of the water no longer rises lies in the power of latency, for the water is getting converted from liquid to gas. Latency is at work. Great things happen, but seldom without latency involved. A period of rest so to speak before the big boom. The heat which would have been used to raise the temperature of the water is now being used to convert the water into a different state. A more potent state. You think water is powerful?

YIN DOLMAH Try water vapor! If there is anything you should fear, even though I do not encourage you to fear much, fear latency. For there is no telling the types of things latency might wrought. Let me give you a real life scenario of the power of latency. Consider this: A young man is incarcerated for nearly 2x2x2 months. This person is beaming with energy, creativity and talent. Suddenly he is forced into latency. After the end of latency, he emerges and records a double album. Something never before done by any artist. Remarkable as that is, it is not the most outstanding aspect of this person’s achievement. He recorded the double album in 2 weeks. The double album, which was recorded by this person in 2 weeks, went on to achieve double platinum status. The person unfortunately met his demise when an unknown assailant riddled him with 2x2 shots. This person’s name may even have had the number 2 in it. Why chaos, the number 2, and excellence seem to coexist perpetually is a matter that might need someone with understanding of chaos to look into. Whoever that person might be.

YIN DOLMAH Anyways, I just found myself digressing for a second. Back to our topic on the power of latency as it pertains to trust. When all things seem quiet; when nothing seems to be happening; when you keep pouring that chemical solution into another and see no reaction, do not despair. Trust the process. Keep pouring and suddenly, what the chemist calls titer value is reached. Then boom, the reaction takes place. When you trust the process and continue to pour in the resources even though the expected result is not manifesting, which in this case is the lack of temperature rise, you will eventually see the full conversion of your water from liquid to gas which is a very beautiful thing. Trust breeds endurance and perseverance which are necessary ingredients for achieving anything worthwhile. Trust will let you push through till the end no matter the obstacles you face. So, let me ask you, in what or who do you trust?” Choose who you will trust wisely and very carefully.