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Friday, November 27, 2009

Wen Tzu - Verse 39, Part II

from Verse Thirty-Nine
To use the mind for purposes of pride and aggrandizement is like a gusty wind or a violent storm; it cannot last long. Therefore sages control this by means of the Way, holding to unity, contriving nothing, and thus not diminishing harmonious energy.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
I'm certain every one of us knows at least one person who spends every waking hour telling everyone else how powerful, rich, better looking, smart or influential they are. Often, such individuals need to announce their prowess to everyone else as a way of convincing themselves they matter and that their singular life has meaning.

But we all know that people such as this are not team players. He or she will stab you in the back the moment it appears they can exact some advantage from it. At best, such people are nothing more than fair-weather friends!

Not only are such individuals annoying as hell, but their very presence in any family or group causes instant disharmony. Since they can't be trusted, almost everyone else feels the need to keep looking over their shoulder. Nothing they say can be taken at face value because everyone else is trying to figure out the pompous individual's angle.

In many ways, it's like being caught unprotected in a violent thunderstorm. You must fight and claw your way to safety. In fact, because it's such a struggle to get away from the wind, rain, hail and/or lightening, once the storm has passed, you usually are too frazzled to get much of anything accomplished.

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

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