The Way and the Power of Virtue

For this reason, sages always excel at rescuing people.   Therefore, they don’t throw people away; They always excel at rescuing things, so they don’t throw things away.   This is called: sowing enlightenment. Wise and sagely people excel at rescuing and saving people.   Sages are constantly seeking to empower people – to provide people the needed tools to work on and create better lives.   Sages understand that people do not need a single handout and as much as they need a hand up.   People need better tools and better access to resources.   People need better education and know-how to utilize available resources better.   Sages place empowering tools peoples’ hands and empowering ideas in peoples’ hearts and allow them the dignity of work whenever possible. In our throwaway society and cancel culture , no one should be thrown away, discarded, or abandoned.  Sages do not reject, forsake, or cast off people.  Even when there are pro...

  Excellent journeys leave no trace, no ruts behind Excellent words, l ike flawless jade,  leave no blame behind Excellent calculations do not necessarily need counters and formulas Excellent closure is unrelated to a deadbolt and yet cannot be re-opened Excellent knots use no string to bind and yet cannot be untied. 1. Leave No Trace: One of the first lessons I learned in Scouts was to “ Leave No Trace .”   This outdoor ethos and conservation strategy is now ingrained in my life.   Not only do I strive to leave no trace of my passing, no negative or permanent sign on the landscape that “I was here,” I also seek to leave the environment better than I found it by cleaning up the messes accidentally or carelessly left behind by others.   This is not to say that there are not times and places where it is necessary and even beneficial in our lives to practice the art of Wayfinding , to be a trailblazer or pathfinder, or leave a string behind to help other...

  How could the ruler of a ten thousand chariot state regard oneself   as being any less personally significant than everyone else under heaven? When we feel slighted, then we lose our foundation.   When we run about in commotion to the tweeting of others, then we lose our power to govern ourselves. We are often tempted to think that a ruler who has legions of troops and treasuries full of wealth would have a pretty good impression of him or herself.  In our day, how often do we think that if we just had more money, more power, more influence, then all of our problems would be solved?  How many times have we seen millionaires, celebrities, athletes, and other social icons who have all the wealth and prestige imaginable struggle with depression, divorce, and addiction?  The truth is that while money is a great resource for solving problems and doing good in the world, it does not inherently make us any better or any different than we are inside alr...