Wen Tzu - Verse 19, Part I

from Verse Nineteen

When water is polluted, the fishes gasp; when government is cruel, the people rebel. When those above have many desires, those below have many tricks. When those above are stirred up, those below are uneasy. When those above have many demands, those below enter into conflicts.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

To put this in a more personal perspective, let's take it down a notch or two and, instead of focusing on a nation, let's make it one family. The principle is the same.

If one or both parents are involved in substance abuse, domestic abuse, infidelity or a host of other issues, this involvement tends to pollute the entire household and creates dysfunction.

If either parent is physically, sexually or emotionally abusive to their children, the youngsters tend to act up and/or outright defy parental authority.

If the adults are all concerned with getting ahead and possessing material goods, the kids quickly learn how to play each parent against the other to get what THEY want.

If the parental figures are inconsistent, moody, disorganized and in a perpetual state of disarray, their children tend to be very anxious because they never know what is expected of them at any given moment.

If the parents demand too much from their offspring, quarrels and fights often break out. In addition, their children tend to exhibit low self-esteem and many will live out their lives with a chip on their shoulder.

Utilizing the message from the passage, it's easy to see how one family can get really messed up. When these same principles are applied to a government and their citizens, the effect is multiplied a million times over.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.