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Structure That Sustains but Then Constrains Must Be Broken

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02.07.2026

Structure can provide comfort, safety, and capacity.

Structure that stays rigidly constant and independent of function can interfere with and prevent growth.

Breaking structure is eventually required in order to develop enhanced function and capacity.

When we create or build something, we often need temporary supports to help guide us and keep things in place. Sometimes those temporary structures become embedded within whatever we are building and just stay there in a support capacity, possibly forever. Sometimes those supports that at one time helped us set something up subsequently prevent us from growing.

There's a concept in traditional Japanese martial arts that explains the stages of development and maturation with ongoing training: shu ('shoo') ha ('hah') ri ('ree').

Shu 守 is often functionally translated along the lines of "conserve/protect/follow." This implies that in the early stages of training, we need to follow a model and use that semi-rigid structure to help support our development. Adherence to a set mold is a key idea to help guide our training.

Ha 破 usually means to move away from, detach, or break away. This implies that we are at a stage of understanding where a rigid structure is no longer necessary to........

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