Saturday, December 29, 2012

Bit by Bit - Chapter 5, Part 11

Trey Smith


Mr. Lame-Hunchback-No-Lips talked to Duke Ling of Wei, and Duke Ling was so pleased with him that when he looked at normal men he thought their necks looked too lean and skinny. Mr. Pitcher-Sized-Wen talked to Duke Huan of Ch'i, and Duke Huan was so pleased with him that when he looked at normal men he thought their necks looked too lean and skinny. Therefore, if virtue is preeminent, the body will be forgotten. But when men do not forget what can be forgotten, but forget what cannot be forgotten - that may be called true forgetting.
~ Burton Watson translation ~
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said in his famous "I Have a Dream" speech that he waited for the day when people would be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin. Sounds very similar to what Zhuangzi wrote here.

To view the Index page for this series, go here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments are unmoderated, so you can write whatever you want.