Monday, December 28, 2009

Wen Tzu - Verse 95, Part IV

from Verse Ninety-Five
Positive energy can be disbursed only after it has accumulated; negative energy can exert influence only after it has been built up. Nothing can exert influence without having been accumulated and built up. Therefore sages are careful about what they accumulate.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
I don't know if Norman Vincent Peale could have said it any better! This same line of reasoning appears in the adage: You reap what you sow.

Back when I was a licensed social worker, I often worked with clients who would lament that they were surrounded by so much negativity. Everywhere they looked, they saw obstacles. Every relationship was troubled. Every day beheld a new struggle to overcome.

Of course, they blamed this sorry situation on fate, bad luck or all the people they came in contact with. People were out to get them!! Nature or God had it in for them.

Sometimes gently and sometimes not, I would point out that the only constant in their perceived negative life was the client her/himself. I would suggest that, before they cast aspersions on every other aspect of their lives, they should look in the mirror. People who exude negativity generally surround themselves with the same energy.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.

2 comments:

  1. Hard work and thrifty habits may lead to a comfortable retirement.
    Laziness and wastage may not.

    The sage sees both aspects, and decides to manifest part of each extreme.

    He works when work is necessary.
    He is careful to avoid wastage, while not hoarding his worth.
    He exists comfortably, but not too comfortably.

    This is his way.

    ReplyDelete

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