The Way - Chapter 58 (By Lao Tzu)

When the policy is plain, people are contented and chaste.


When the policy is strict, people are destitute and sullied.


Misfortune can gestate fortune; fortune can evolve into misfortune.


Who knows the evolvement law? There is no predefined rule.


The integrity can be strange; the charitableness can be foul.


The puzzlement of people exists for a long time.


Therefore, the saint should be upright not isolated, plain not crude, straightforward not hurtful, and shining not glaring.

Believe

I ever watched the popular Shamu show “Believe” in Seaworld Orlando. In the show, the trainers swim with shamus, kiss them, play with them and ride on them. The trainers perform difficult flips and dives with the support of shamus. A group of shamus jump out of water with similar beautiful curve simultaneously. About 5,000 audiences applaud and acclaim for the unforgettable performance.

 

In the show you see a boy whose dream is to be a trainer with killer whales. He believes he can do it, and his dream comes true. Yes, every miracle begins with “believe”. The trainers believe killer whales can be trained; the trainers believe they can do it; the trainers believe the killer shamus will not hurt them. Because of “believe”, the audience can enjoy such a fantastic show.

 

“If you believe and put your heart and mind to it, you can do it!” We have to believe ourselves. Only if we believe we can do it, we can do it. Self-confidence is contagious. It will give us positive attitude and infect everything we do in a positive way. Confidence spreads with successes. When we encounter obstacles and adversities, “believe” can help us sustain in the path, overcome the difficulty and enjoy the sweetness of success finally.

 

“Believe” is powerful. When I doubted my ability and I thought I could not do anything well, my husband showed strong belief in me. His belief instilled confidence into me. From that point, I find I can do a lot of things very well.

 

“Believe”, a simple but miraculous word, is the starting point of any achievement.

Self-Cultivation

The sage Mengzi wrote a famous article 2,300 years ago. His wise words have encouraged a lot of people to face the adversity intrepidly.

“If a person is predestined to take on a great mission and play a role in the history, he has to endure a process of hard tempering, which exercises his mind by suffering, toughens his sinew and bone by toiling, and subjects him to extreme poverty, and tortures him near to crazy. By this means, he will cultivate himself inner strength, build unusual wisdom, and increase his capability.”

So, we should thank those people who gave us a hard time. They provide a playground for us to reflect us, to practice endurance and patience, to cultivate virtues, and to develop a strong nerve.

I ever met a very unreasonable girl, who made up dirty details and spread evil words about me. I didn’t know it until several people asked me to find a lawyer for myself. I was so hurt and argued with her. The result was that I looked as dirty and as bad as her. I learned from it, if we ignore slanderer, the slander will go back to the slanderer. A girl who ever slandered me got a reputation as evil liar.

But I still have to thank her; she exercised my mind, patience and personality. No one can make me angry anymore. I can keep calm and peaceful with any difficult people. I enjoy a good family life and am adored by my husband and parents-in-law. Thank God send us a difficult person or even an evil one to test us, practice us and prepare us for a better life and a big mission.

If people can hurt us, our self-cultivation is not enough. No one can hurt us without our permission.

The Grace of Appreciation

Given a little sunshine, a bud in the shadow will come out; with a gust of wind, a small hand can make a kite fly. Have you met someone who understand you, appreciate you and trust you? Have you met someone who use kindness and belief to rekindle the fire in your heart?

 
At some point of our life, we need someone to encourage us, to reassure us, to help us rebuild our confidence. It doesn’t take a big person to do that. When Dale Carnegie was nine years old, his father remarried. Dale’s father introduced Dale to his stepmother, “Be careful of him. He is the worst boy in the county. He may throw a stone to you or do other bad things beyond your imagination.”

 

Out of Dale’s expectation, his stepmother walked to him, held his head, looked at his eyes, smiled, “You are wrong. He is not the worst boy in the county, but the smartest. He is the boy who hasn’t found where to use his passion.” Dale burst into tears.

 

Because of this word, Dale Carnegie built a beautiful relationship with his stepmother; because of this word, Dale Carnegie was motivated to be good and successful; because of this word, Dale Carnegie helped the other people step onto the path of success.

 

It is a grace to meet someone who appreciates you. You should cherish that person who believes in you even before you believe in yourself.