Friday, August 3, 2012

Huainanzi - Entry 78

Trey Smith

Birth and maturation must have the vital energy of harmony. This why why the Way of sages is broad yet exacting, strict yet warm, gentle but direct, powerful but human. What is too hard snaps, and what is too soft folds; sages are between hardness and softness, thus finding the root of the Way.
~ a passage from
The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~
I find it interesting that a lot of people view the middle path as narrow. Because they see it as narrow, they believe that, to live a more vibrant life, they must skirt along the edges of each path.

The generalized middle of any area is the widest contiguous space. The edges -- off to one side or the other -- are not as contiguously broad. So, by eschewing the broad space to live in, we unwittingly choose those areas that are more confining and, not surprisingly, we find ourselves falling completely off of our chosen paths again and again.

Think of it this way. Which is easier: Walking down the middle of a mountain trail OR walking on a tightrope suspended high above a gorge? While there may be times when we feel that it is necessary to choose the latter, we stand a much better chance of getting from Point A to Point B by choosing the former.

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

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