from Verse One Hundred Thirty-OneSages do not want anything and do not avoid anything. When you want something, that may just make you lose it; and if you try to avoid something, that just may bring it about.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
I really think almost every one of us can identify with the above passage. Often times, in our efforts to obtain or avoid something, the net result is precisely the opposite of our objective.
Who in their youth -- heck, anytime in life -- hasn't tried in vain to get the object of our affections to love us back? The mystery of attraction can be so confounding! You meet someone and every nerve in your being comes alive, yet, for whatever reason, the other person doesn't feel the same way about you. In such a situation, the more you try to make them see, the more they want to have nothing to do with you!
On the other hand, who hasn't been in one of those circumstances (e.g., church, a funeral, an important business meeting, etc.) when a loud bout of laughter would be highly inappropriate? Have you ever tried to suppress a laugh that just has to come out? The harder you try to keep a straight face, the more the laughter bubbles up inside and soon there is no stopping it!
When I was sixteen, I had hernia surgery. A large group of my classmates came to visit me in the hospital during my recovery. Before entering my room, the nurse cautioned them to avoid making jokes and laughing because, if I joined in, I might bust all my stitching.
So, in they came charged with the responsibility NOT to laugh. They tried gamely to be serious, but in no time at all, every single one of them was rolling on the floor in hysterics. At that juncture, anything anyone said only caused everyone -- me included -- to roar in laughter even louder. The nurse burst in and chastised all of them and this only sent our laughter higher and higher! (Fortunately, I didn't rip any stitches, but I've never experienced such pain while laughing uproariously.)
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Who in their youth -- heck, anytime in life -- hasn't tried in vain to get the object of our affections to love us back? The mystery of attraction can be so confounding! You meet someone and every nerve in your being comes alive, yet, for whatever reason, the other person doesn't feel the same way about you. In such a situation, the more you try to make them see, the more they want to have nothing to do with you!
On the other hand, who hasn't been in one of those circumstances (e.g., church, a funeral, an important business meeting, etc.) when a loud bout of laughter would be highly inappropriate? Have you ever tried to suppress a laugh that just has to come out? The harder you try to keep a straight face, the more the laughter bubbles up inside and soon there is no stopping it!
When I was sixteen, I had hernia surgery. A large group of my classmates came to visit me in the hospital during my recovery. Before entering my room, the nurse cautioned them to avoid making jokes and laughing because, if I joined in, I might bust all my stitching.
So, in they came charged with the responsibility NOT to laugh. They tried gamely to be serious, but in no time at all, every single one of them was rolling on the floor in hysterics. At that juncture, anything anyone said only caused everyone -- me included -- to roar in laughter even louder. The nurse burst in and chastised all of them and this only sent our laughter higher and higher! (Fortunately, I didn't rip any stitches, but I've never experienced such pain while laughing uproariously.)
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
how true, how true, i have nothing to add, just expressing my vehement agreement. :)
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