XI
Strength
One of the virtues which is often misunderstood, misused or both. The intangible ‘something’ that is often used to overcome or pacify the will of another, either overtly or with some subtlety. Sometimes true strength comes from NOT doing anything to affect the will of a fellow being. In other words, the ability to hold back against the strongest of temptations to become involved in directing the actions someone other than ourselves.
Here we see a young woman in the company of a dragon. Has she used her manipulative skills to keep the dragon quiet and stilled? Or has she sat in her own world of stillness which has led the dragon to feel safe in her presence? This may lead us to question who we respond to best / are drawn to the most – those who make a show of their inner power, or those who choose to use the power of the mind in a more subtle way in order to adapt to any given situation. This scene has made me question my own prejudices and judgements, and will hopefully lead to you doing the same.
Why, oh why do we automatically assume the woman is the one who is demonstrating the theme of ‘strength’? How patronising and judgemental could that be? Are we therefore assuming the dragon has no strength of his own and is always to be seen as being submissive in the presence of a human being? How differently would we interpret this scene if we looked at the issue of ‘strength’ from the viewpoint of the dragon? Sometimes we need to be a little more lateral in our thinking if we are to truly understand the message being portrayed….