Bit by Bit - Chapter 10, Part 3

Trey Smith

Let me try explaining it. What the ordinary world calls 'a man of perfect wisdom is in fact someone who piles things up for the benefit of a great thief; what the ordinary world calls a perfect sage is in fact someone who stands guard for the benefit of a great thief. How do I know this is so? In times past, Kuan Lung-feng was cut down, Pi Kan was disemboweled, Ch'ang Hung was torn apart, and Wu Tzu-hsu was left to rot. All four were worthy men, and yet they could not escape destruction.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

No matter the amount of wisdom each of us gains throughout our lives, each one of us will not escape destruction -- death -- in the end. Whether a person is a beggar or a thief, a worthy person or a scoundrel, we leave this realm of existence in the same manner. So, how we choose to live our lives isn't about what might come next; it's about the kind of world we want to live in now.

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