Sunday, March 4, 2012

Huainanzi - Entry 63

Trey Smith

When a madman runs off and someone runs after him, both are running in the same direction, but they're running for different purposes.
~ a passage from
The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~
Context is everything.

This idea that there are rigid rules and standards to live by -- particularly ones written by semi-literate nomadic tribesman thousands of years ago -- doesn't allow for the reality of context. What might generally be wrong might not be so in a particular set of circumstances. What might generally be right might not be so in a specific situation.

As in the passage above, if the general rule is that we are not to head off in a certain direction, is it wrong to chase after the madman, even if all you wish to do is to try to convince him to turn around?

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.

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