“First dentistry was painless.
Then bicycles were chainless,
Carriages were horseless,
And many laws enforceless.
Next cookery was fireless,
Telegraphy was wireless,
Cigars were nicotineless,
And coffee caffeineless.
Soon oranges were seedless,
The putting green was weedless,
The college boy was hatless,
The proper diet fatless.
New motor roads are dustless,
The latest steel is rustless,
Our tennis courts are sodless,
Our new religion–godless.”
The mature person accepts his situation and doesn’t desire anything outside of it. If he finds himself rich and honored, he acts as a rich man should act; if he is poor, he acts as a poor man should act; if he is among barbarians, he acts as a barbarian should act. Life can present him with no situation in which he isn’t master of himself.
In high position, he doesn’t domineer over his subordinates; in a low position, he doesn’t fawn on his superiors. He makes sure that his own conduct is correct and seeks nothing from others; thus he is never disappointed. He has no complaints against heaven and no blame towards other people.
Therefore the mature person lives in perfect serenity, awaiting the decrees of heaven, while the unworthy person walks on the edge of danger, always trying to keep one step ahead of his fate.
Confucius said, “In the archer there is a resemblance to the mature person. When he misses the bull”s-eye, he turns and seeks the reason for his failure in himself.”
Tzu-Ssu (483-402 B.C.E.)
“Survivors who have actively faced their healing are some of the most lively, spunky, brave, fun, wonderful people I know. There’s something about diving into the deepest pain in life and coming out whole, that leads us to enjoy each precious moment in life, because we know it’s all we’ve got. Instead of responding to the pain of the past, survivors learn to appreciate the wild beauty of the present.”
Laura Davis – Allies in Healing: When the Person You Love is a Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.
