Do not
throw yourself away. No value will result, and you will lose your dignity.
Remain modest, quiet and correct.
(I
Ching)
Quietude
A tai chi person does not seek success and recognition. They have no use for
such things.
Life is complex enough and riddled with hardships without inviting the
scrutiny of others or indulging our own weaknesses and vanities.
The simple life is the preferred one. No fuss. No bother. No fame. No
authority.
We do not live such a life because it is expected of us. That would be
false. A conceit.
The decision to be this way occurs naturally and spontaneously.
No other way would seem appropriate.
Somebody and nobody
Awareness offers at least two sides to all situations.
Taoism shows us that we are all unique and special. We all have a gift to offer.
At the same time, if everyone is special, then surely no one can be special?
What is remarkable about being the same as everyone else?
We are all unique yet we are all the same. It seems to be a paradox but there is
no paradox.
Any apparent paradox exists in our own thinking.
It is possible to be two things simultaneously without any contradiction
occurring.
The contradiction lies with words and thoughts, not with reality.
Every person on this planet is both somebody and nobody.
Humility
Humility cannot be cultivated. It comes from perspective and awareness.
Knowing that we are only one human amongst billions gives perspective.
Realising that humans are just one species amongst millions that share our world
is a humbling experience.
The complexity of Earth and all its intricacies is staggering, yet beyond our
world lies a universe of possibility.
Arrogance. Pride. Conceit. Vanity. Pomp. Self-importance. Ego. What silly
creatures we are.
We are incredible specks of life; both wonderful and deluded. Believing
ourselves gods yet enslaved by our cultures and traditions.
Humility comes from the realisation that existence is unimaginably vast, and we
are imperceptibly insignificant.
Although one human make indeed make a mark within our own culture, what does it
matter when the entirety of existence is your meter?
Freedom
Free of pride and vanity we capable of being the best that we can be...
Not the top of the class. Not the one with the medals and the trophies or the
public acclaim.
No, we aim far higher than this.
We reach our own potential. We grow into ourselves. We see who we are and
stop 'becoming'.
This is done in order to please ourselves. For its own sake. Not for a reward.
Not for approval.
There is no need for attention. We do not require a witness or an audience.
We excel because anything less would be half a life. A waste of the possibility
before us.
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Page created 11 February 2000