Huainanzi - Entry 79

Trey Smith

There are three dangers in the world: To have many privileges but few virtues is the first danger.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

In my mind's eye, this passage is aimed clearly at the rich and powerful of any given society. While the poor and middle class may lack the same virtues of the elite (or they may not), they lack the requisite privileges.

In reading this snippet, I think of the maxim: Where much is given, much is expected. If you grant your progeny a lot of privileges, you expect them to show care and responsibility. If you discover that they lack these two qualities, then the privileges are withdrawn.

It may work that way in a healthy family, but sadly it doesn't seem to work that way in society, at large. Many who enjoy the greatest privileges our society can bestow on someone are the very same people who abuse the system with abandon. We give them so much and yet they don't believe in the concept of reciprocation. They view their privileges as a birthright and virtue as a tool of the weak-minded!

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