Huainanzi - Entry 53

Trey Smith

Without serenity, there is no way to illuminate one's character.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

In today's world of reality television, this advice seems counterintuitive. The way people try to shine a light on themselves is by being loud, controversial, pretentious, and/or trying to one-up supposed competitors. The quiet and peaceful ones are those who get lost in the crowd.

But the effort to shine a light on yourself says a great deal about your character and, in my book, it isn't something that's very good! The sagacious individual doesn't need a platform to call attention to themselves. She doesn't need cameras and microphones to project an image. He doesn't feel a need or desire to be singled out and praised.

The sage simply goes about his or her life and, by not attempting to draw attention onto themselves, their personality is allowed to shine beautifully on its own.

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