Chapter 3.4a: Sagely Principles for Self-Governance and Leadership, Part I

 

This is how wise people govern themselves and others:   

They empty their hearts and minds and they fill their core.

Because of the tendency and social pressure to try to engage in self-promotion to prove ourselves worthy, place excessive value external commodities, thereby robbing ourselves or our inherent worth, and show off our desirable attributes and abilities, the sage, or wise person leads out by regulating or governing four aspects of their lives – their hearts and minds, their core, their worldly ambitions, and their personal appetites.  They do so in four ways. 

First, wise people empty their hearts and minds, their thoughts and feelings, of superfluous and frivolous things – things that are empty and vain and therefore contribute to a feeling of emptiness inside.  How much mental and emotional energy do we spend on things that are empty?  Do we keep ourselves so busy and full with memes, social media trends, fantasy sports leagues, and pop culture clickbait that we have no room or time in our lives for more substantive matters and causes?  What can we cut out of our lives or spend a little less time and energy on to make room in our lives for something better? That is not to say that entertainment doesn’t, can’t, or shouldn’t have a place in our lives – it is about finding individual balance – therein lies wisdom.  For the next month, or even just this week choose something small in your life that you can live without or spend less time on – create some more breathing room and space in your life and see how you feel.

Second, having created space in their lives for things that truly matter, wise people fill their inner core with real substance and nourishment – virtue, wisdom, compassion, and understanding.  Just as our bodies need wholesome nutrition and nourishment – so to do our hearts and minds.  Wise people expand their knowledge, learn new things, develop their skills and abilities, increase their awareness and hone their insights.  When was the last time we learned something new?  What is that thing that we’ve always wanted to learn or understand but constantly find ourselves too busy?  What causes have we always wanted to get involved with, support, and advocate for but just haven’t gotten around to?  This week, take half of the time you would have spent pursuing distractions and learn something new.  Instead of binge watching another episode of your favorite show balance it out by taking half the time you would have spent and picking that book up off your shelf that you’ve been wanting to read, or watching that Ted Talk that’s been in your queue for months, or listening to that podcast that's been on your playlist forever.  Feed your mind.  Nurture your soul.  Quality time spent investing in yourself always yields dividends.  You are worth the investment. ~ DCB

The character (zhì), meaning “to order, govern, or regulate” has its origins in flood control.  The left side contains the radical for water (shuĭ), now reduced to three horizontal drops of water but originally representing a flowing current river, and the character (taí) for a raised platform, terrace, or perhaps even an embankment, which also provides the sound of the word.  Flooding was a constant problem in ancient China as both the Yellow River and the Yangze often experienced devastating deluges.  Thus, regulating the course, volume, and flow of the rivers was a critical function of governance.  Likewise, regulating and balancing our thoughts and emotions between the fun and the frivolous and the profound and the purposeful is an important skill in our lives – too much distraction and we can feel as if life has no meaning or substance, too little and we can feel like our lives are all work and no play.