#petty tyrant

“Any encounter with a petty tyrant, even a small one is damaging and offensive for ordinary people. However, what really finishes us off is not so much any real damage inflicted but a feeling offense and humiliation that arises from taking ourselves too seriously. If we examine the petty tyrants in our lives, we should ask what damage they really cause us. A sober observation will reveal that the real enemy is within ourselves. It is our self-importance that is poking us inside when we find ourselves in a situation that is disagreeable to the ego. A warrior could suffer physical damage but would in no way be offended by the actions of a petty tyrant. A warrior could be struck physically but would not feel humiliated. This extra energy not spent on self-importance is precisely the advantage the warrior has over the petty tyrant, whose principal characteristic—and weak point—is taking him or herself with deadly seriousness. With this extra energy a warrior maintains strategy, control, and the ability to observe, then places traps and waits. The warrior triumphs in the end, having achieved the tempering of his or her spirit.”

“These six elements have a reciprocal influence on each other. The first five have to do with a warrior’s private world and are called “the attributes of warriorship”. The sixth is an elements belonging to the outside world. Each element, except for the fifth, is a part of the world of the known.

Control—to tune the spirit when the petty tyrant is trampling on you.

Discipline—to gather information on the petty tyrant while he is beating you up.

Forbearance—to wait patiently, without haste or anxiety; a simple joyful holding back of the payment due.

Timing—to put in action everything that was prepared by control, discipline, and forbearance. Timing opens the gate of the dam.

Will—the only element belonging to the realm of the unknown.

The petty tyrant—a tormentor who makes life impossible. Warriors use him or her to eliminate their own self-importance and to learn impeccability.

To use this techniques requires a degree of work experience and awareness not apt to be found among beginners. You must maintain a minimum level of sobriety to uphold a strategy in situations where ordinary people are too preoccupied with emotional outbursts to be able to look at the situation from a different perspective.”

“This technique, combining both pragmatism and humor, is one of the most refined of the art of stalking. In its most general form, it can be applied to any situation in which we find ourselves subjected to adverse circumstances against our will, especially those in which our personal ego is affected. These would be situations involving offense, humiliation, or mistreatment.

As presented to us by Castaneda, the technique of the petty tyrant represents one of the finest points of stalking. It was developed during the period of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, in which sorcerers and men of knowledge were subjected to tremendous pressure under the yoke of the Spaniards. The majority of sorcerers were killed; but some made use of the situation, out of which grew the art of stalking, thanks to which the survivors were able to come out ahead under the most adverse of circumstances. In developing their art, they made use of the persecution, domination, and mistreatment they received.

This taught them how to move about undetected and handle situation in which a way that—if they were not killed—they emerged in the end victorious. They converted their dealings with petty tyrants into a matter of strategy. But their most important discovery was that in dealing strategically with petty tyrant, they encountered a very effective remedy for self-importance. since that is the most energy-consuming activity in the life of an individual, its eradication became one of the prime objectives for stalkers interested in using that energy to enter into the unknown.”

Don Juan gives a very simple definition of the petty tyrant: “A petty tyrant is a tormentor, someone who holds the power of life or death over warriors or simply annoys them to distraction.” The stalkers of the colonial era classified petty tyrants in categories according to their level of influence. Far above the human level was put the inexorable force that sustains all that exists, the primary energy of the entire universe, and they called it simply “The Tyrant”. Compared to this force, the most powerful and cruel of men were no more than petty tyrants; those were put at the top of the list.

Petty tyrants—have the power of life and death over their victims according to whim.

Little petty tyrants—harass and can inflict injury without killing their victims.

Small-fry petty tyrants—are bothersome and exasperating to no end.

Naturally, during the Spanish conquest there were petty tyrants present everywhere. However, the warriors who came later and those of today generally have to make do with little petty tyrants; they were divided into four categories:

Those who torment with brutality and violence.

Those who create unbearable apprehension.

Those who oppress with sadness and gloom.

Those who torment by making people rage.