Chapter 9: Avoid Excessiveness
It is better to stop pouring than to hold on too long and overfill the cup. The blade that is forged with too fine a point, can’t be maintained for long. When gold and jade fill one’s hall, no one can protect it. Pride and arrogance from wealth and status brings disaster upon oneself. Retiring once personal contributions are achieved is the Way of Heaven. This passage returns to the theme of balance and moderation in all things. It’s about knowing when to stop, when to let go, when enough is enough. Too often we try to hold on to things for too long. We stay in positions and relationships long after we stopped growing in and contributing to them. In our desperate need to fill our cups all the way to the brim, we often overfill, spill, and lose. Sometimes we let our own successes go to our heads and we let ourselves feel a little entitled, setting ourselves up for a fall. We’ve all seen it countless times. The one h...