Huainanzi - Entry 89

Trey Smith

Cultivated people can live only by justice; if they lose justice, they lose their raison d'etre. Infantile people can live only be desires; if they lose their desires, they have no way to live. Cultivated people fear loss of justice; infantile people fear loss of material advantages. By observing what they fear, you can tell their differences.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

If this truly represents the dividing line, then we must admit that there are few cultivated individuals in the world today!

This is an especially pertinent issue to think about during this consumer-driven holiday time of year.  Almost everyone of any means is out to get theirs by whatever means necessary.  It is at this time of year that we hear reports of people fighting or trampling others to get their hands on this year's most popular gift items for children and, sometimes, adults.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and/or the Winter Solstice,  this time of year is supposed to be about family and community.  It is supposed to be a time of giving selflessly.  Sadly, in far too many cases, it has turned into an orgy of materialism in which honor or justice simply doesn't figure into the equation.

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