Far East

Governance

Chapter XVI.

Good government seen from its effects.

1. The duke of Sheh asked about government.

2. The Master said, "Good government obtains, when those who are near are made happy, and those who are far off are attracted."

Link.

Non-Doing

2

When people see things as beautiful,
ugliness is created.
When people see things as good,
evil is created.

Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other.

Therefore the Master
can act without doing anything
and teach without saying a word.
Things come her way and she does not stop them;
things leave and she lets them go.
She has without possessing,
and acts without any expectations.
When her work is done, she take no credit.
That is why it will last forever.

Link.

Virtue

Chapter V.

The devotion of the Chün-tsze to virtue.

1. The Master said, "Riches and honors are what men desire. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If it cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.

2. "If a superior man abandon virtue, how can he fulfill the requirements of that name?

3. "The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it."

Link.

Dao De Qing

76

The living are soft and yielding;
the dead are rigid and stiff.
Living plants are flexible and tender;
the dead are brittle and dry.

Those who are stiff and rigid
are the disciple of death.
Those who are soft and yielding
are the disciples of life.

The rigid and stiff will be broken.
The soft and yielding will overcome.

Link.

Beclouded

Chapter VIII.

Knowledge, acquired by learning, is necessary to the completion of virtue, by preserving the mind from being beclouded.

1. The Master said, "Yû, have you heard the six words to which are attached six becloudings?" Yû replied, "I have not."

2. "Sit down, and I will tell them to you.

3. "There is the love of being benevolent without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to a foolish simplicity. There is the love of knowing without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to dissipation of mind. There is the love of being sincere without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to an injurious disregard of consequences. There is the love of straightforwardness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to rudeness. There is the love of boldness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to insubordination. There is the love of firmness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to extravagant conduct."

Link.

Doi!

A study done last year involving more than 2000 kids between the ages of 13 and 18 found that over 70% of them felt depressed, unable to talk to their folks, and worried about school pressure. The author of the study recommended:

it is the duty of parents and teachers to help their children build self-confidence in other ways, such as finding each person's strengths and developing his or her special talents. As to improving communication skills, he suggested "practice more, praise more and interact more." Doing this in daily life will help a youngster regain confidence in life.

Link

Yeah, this number is consistent with what I see in the kids I teach; if anything, it's too low. As for the 'recommendations', what planet did this guy come from? How about designing a curriculum that didn't have kids studying 14 hours a days, 6 days a week? And reducing the number of tests, making classes more interesting instead of the 'teacher is the master thou shalt not question' type of ultra-boring style they employ now? Naw, let's throw a few catchy slogans at them, and that'll fix it. What a putz. This reminds me of the story last year that advised overweight people to take the stairs to work as exercise; one reporter calculated that this could mean nearly a million stairs climbed a year! If parents weren't too busy making sure that little Johnny got into the local equivalent of Harvard, and you know, actually cared about them as people, ones who have definite limits, then the kids might not be committing suicide as often as they do.

The Junkman Cometh

In anticipation of Chinese New Year, people have to buy new clothes, thoroughly clean their homes (after all, it is the Spring Festival) and get rid of any old junk they have laying around, even if said junk is still functional. Junk-folk have a field day, as there is a designated area for citizens to dump any and sundry items they don't want cluttering up their home, up to and including appliances, furniture, beds, etc. A good way to get rid of stuff you don't have storage space for.