from Verse Fifty-SixThose who serve people either use money or humble words. Money comes to an end, but desire is never satiated.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Those who associate with humble attitudes, undemanding words, and logical talk do not have to make promises or pledges. Those who bind formal agreements break them in no time at all.
It's often hard for me to believe that this document is thousands of years old; it could just as easily have been written today since it seems to describe modern society to a tee. It just goes to show that the problems we deal with today are as old as the hills!
If you think about it, why do people make promises? If the routine expectation is that each of us will carry through with what we say, then a promise or pledge would be superfluous. It would serve no necessary purpose.
Of course, the reason that promises supposedly are meaningful is the sad fact that each of us doesn't always follow through. It's a way of saying to others that "This time I really mean it." Yet, despite our avowals, we come through to keep our promises at about the same rate as if we had made no promises at all.
For Lao Tzu, the answer to this dilemma is easy -- live a genuine life, one free from ego. The selfless person naturally will follow through with what he or she says because there will be no conflicts that arise because of our desires.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
If you think about it, why do people make promises? If the routine expectation is that each of us will carry through with what we say, then a promise or pledge would be superfluous. It would serve no necessary purpose.
Of course, the reason that promises supposedly are meaningful is the sad fact that each of us doesn't always follow through. It's a way of saying to others that "This time I really mean it." Yet, despite our avowals, we come through to keep our promises at about the same rate as if we had made no promises at all.
For Lao Tzu, the answer to this dilemma is easy -- live a genuine life, one free from ego. The selfless person naturally will follow through with what he or she says because there will be no conflicts that arise because of our desires.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I like this. It goes right with my view of "mean what you do, do what you mean; say what you mean; mean what you say; say what you'll do, then do what you said"
ReplyDeleteI hold everyone to this maxim and use it as a culling tool to remove negative people from my interfering in my life.
Honesty rises like the sun against a clear blue sky.
ReplyDeleteEven so, there will always be those who moan about the weather.
MHF,
ReplyDeleteAnother to say it is to "walk one's talk."