Forever Is Beneficial

Everything on earth has a beginning and an ending. Everything that already exists, subsists because it has a name. “The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” (pg.3), which means that what doesn’t exist, or doesn’t have a name, is eternal. The nameless’ energy then never gets destroyed, or misled, it never dies. For instance, heaven and earth, “Heaven and earth last forever. Why do heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn, so ever living.” (pg. 9), they actually never were born, and then are they real, or just an idea? They are named, but unborn, so do they exist? Then what really comes into importance, are not the unborn heaven and earth, but the interaction of everything with heaven and earth, the reason why they are named and eternal.

For everything to exist, there is a “universal law” to follow. Not exactly a law, but a natural order of things in general. A balance in which there is stability among the known. Every object, substance, element, bit and piece complements each other. To harmonize between each other, things become opposites. “Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil.” (pg. 4), this maxim is prove of how opposites are dependent, this means that without any of them the other wouldn’t exist. The matter of eternity, is empty within contrary. By contradicting themselves, they follow an order of being. Consequently, the primal virtue is taken, which explains that the body comes in pair with the soul, this is the spirit. They complete each other, probably by differing. In this way, benefit for usefulness comes from opposites, which are the basis of the material world in which we live. It is beneficial or useful, to complete what is not there, it is a compromise of taking ambition into simplicity, and wanting what is careless. In the following maxim, “Therefore benefit comes from what is there; usefulness from what is not there.” (pg.13), opposites are beneficial, therefore useful, in what materialism takes care and the spirit forgets.

Just Keep Swimming

Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Everyone intends to be different on their own way. Everybody wants to be irreplaceable, unique. They are in need of being an individual, literally, one person, distinctive from the rest. To be different then one has to be individual from society, be distinguished. Being different, corresponds to being yourself, you have to keep track of your actions, and the principles you have. When the Master says, “I have never been able to do anything for a person who is not himself constantly asking, ‘What should I do? What should I do?’” (15.16), it clearly explains the importance of being oneself, of identifying our own principles. Then, your actions form their own path, you are able to leave your own mark. By asking what should I do, the concept is mistake, you can’t sit and wait for your footprint to get there, it is your responsibility to create it.

Principles enlarge any person, they are able to withstand any control. For this result, you have to sharpen your tools. Use everything you have available to brighten your life. These tools are a double side weapon, if they are misused, they go against you, and they drown you into society. For example, “When the multitude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone whom the multitude love.” (15.28), when someone judges they have already found their principles, they judge because this certain person isn’t in their standards. Still, does this give the right to anyone to judge? Judgment is a matter of using your tools, either you judge to drown others, or you don’t so that others judge you. Is there any other way in society to use your tools, to just keep swimming without anyone else drowning?

What is the word?

Words That Sound Alike: Exercise 1
Question

Question	Your Answer	The Correct Answer	Your Response is:
Question 1	Where	Where	Correct
Question 2	wear	wear	Correct
Question 3	we're	we're	Correct
Question 4	to	to	Correct
Question 5	two	two	Correct
Question 6	too	too	Correct
Question 7	conscious	conscious	Correct
Question 8	conscience	conscience	Correct
Question 9	led	led	Correct
Question 10	lead	lead	Correct
Question 11	their	their	Correct
Question 12	They're	They're	Correct
Question 13	there	there	Correct
Question 14	idea	idea	Correct
Question 15	ideal	ideal	Correct
Question 16	than	than	Correct
Question 17	then	then	Correct
Question 18	It's	It's	Correct
Question 19	its	its	Correct
Question 20	You're	You're	Correct
Question 21	your	your	Correct
Question 22	advise	advise	Correct
Question 23	advice	advice	Correct

Correct
You had 23 out of 23 questions correct.
Very good!

Pursue What You Know

“I transmit rather than innovate. I trust in and love the ancient ways.” (7.1)

Confucius feels that transmitting lessons is much better than creating new ones. This means that he sticks to what he has been taught, to what gave him knowledge. Then, innovation is not always right, it is not always trusted, many times fails. Innovation is only right with, knowledge, it only works this way. Instead, with transmitting there is no need for knowledge, as the master says “I am not someone who was born with knowledge. I simply love antiquity, and diligently look there for knowledge.”(7.20). He is referring to what one transmits, lessons, which show the pursue of dreams that are worth, lessons bring up believe. They make us imagine our aspirations, through what we learn, through what we are transmitted. The master then says something about pursuing, “If wealth were something worth pursuing, then I would pursue it, even if that meant serving as an officer holding a whip at the entrance to the marketplace. Since it is not worth pursuing, however, I prefer to follow that which I love.” (7.12), he says just follow what you love, no matter what it is.

Knowledge makes life easier. It is a personal burden, life, but with knowledge you are able to move along. Knowledge is gained, with it you are able to be virtuous and to self-cultivation. “No doubt there are those who try to innovate without acquiring knowledge, but this is a fault I do not possess. I listen widely, and then pick out that which is excellent in order to follow it; I see many things, and then remember them. This constitutes a second-best sort of knowledge.” (7.28), the master intends to prove how basic it is communicating, not only transmitting but listening. Learning and teaching, knowledge the pursue of us all, besides goodness, the key to living.

Goodness...

In the Analects, Confucius describes morality, principles and virtues make his goals for the perfect gentleman. Then, virtues come in consideration rather than principles. “The Master said, “Acquiring Virtue by applying the mean-is this not best? And yet among the common people few are able to practice virtue for long.” (6.29), he is saying that virtue is not always there, that is hard, that not everybody has it. Virtues are the moral conduct, therefore, your ideology and basis to be a better person, one better according to your interpretation. This way it is beneficial to coexist not only as an individual inside of a society but as oneself. Then come principles, the basis of a society, then this are already there, and will always be, we as individuals have to fit in the ones we belong. According to these the master says that virtues are the strategy of education instead of principles. For that reason he would be saying that it is better to have and be a better person, over having laws for a better society. But, isn’t the good of an individual still good for a society? Each individual conforms a society, the good of each makes a good of all. Besides, virtues are to coexist, not to only to oneself but to others. Goodness? Why goodness? What is exactly goodness? Confucius describes what happens with and without goodness, but never what goodness itself is. “Merely set your heart sincerely upon Goodness and you will be free of bad intentions.” (4.4), this says it all, goodness is just good, the option to stay away from the bad. Goodness in The Analects is given the same importance as God in the Bible, God and Good, Good is God, God is Good…is there a connection, as if Goodness were a force, would God be a force? Goodness, is the morally positive, in any behavior, why so much important? How can someone state what is morally positive for all (such as principles), when the strategy of education are virtues (what is morally positive for each)?

Is Innocence Blind?

I’ve always said that all left in life are choices. This episode of Job finally proves my point, when it is implied how destiny depends on your decisions. Satan says that destiny is written. Evil then says that destiny is written…but what does God say? Is it self explanatory? Probably, maybe the reason why God is so logical. So evil, it is inside you, the “other” side of you, the one you choose to be, or for a moment, an action, your choice. Yes, it is unbelievable how choices influence us so much. Everyday we are exposed to many different choices which remark our life completely. Choosing between water and juice, maybe is not the best example, but when deciding, pay attention to every mislead, detail every part, because choices do determine anything. When Job “shunned evil” all God could do was forgive, one of the hardest actions towards anyone. It is proving to them that you are fine, that it is okay to you what they did, you forgive them, but what they really need to do is forgive themselves. In that case when God forgives Job, the mistake remains in Job, it was his own path, his own destiny, his life. Still he questions God, anger…disappointment, the feeling so unlikely and disapproved. Why is he the almighty? Why does he judge all? Why does he judge me? Questions maybe of jealousy, the frightened envied destiny, the one he wanted but at the same time feared. When Job says, “The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down.” (Job 18:7), he is cursing, wishing the worst for that which he wants. Then Satan is right, are destiny is written, but still we chose which destiny to write.

The Contest

“He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done.”

-Leonardo Da Vinci

Satan doesn’t punish evil, he commands it. This is exactly what he does, and what we usually avoid. What it means, is that evil is wrong, and that is entirely, true, evil is evil. The same way God is God, and good is good. It was as if God and Satan were playing a game. Job’s life, a contest for his happiness, for his believes. We have always been taught that God is the “good one”, yes, he is the best the one to follow, and our hearts always guide us to him. I am not saying it is wrong, it is simply to forced, the truth, of what we have to believe. Then comes the image we have of Satan, the one taught to us, the mean guy, who frightens our insides, without notice he is there, wondering why evil wasn’t before. I find then Job to be an unpredictable person, as most humans, he is in the middle of a question, waiting to be answered, but all he needs is patience. Evil or good? It is really all up to him. God directs to humans as his servants, something Satan doesn’t agree with, “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” (Job 2:4), Satan criticizing God, for what man is to be proved. Job is the first one to analyze the options, Satan or God? As if not determined right or wrong among them. He has this anger towards God, which somehow leads to the acceptance of evil. Job then is forced to question God, as if he weren’t enough, “Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?” (Job 6:30), pure judgment, definitely undiscovered.

What I would then suggest, is that evil is a state of mind, specially in Job, to which God doesn’t give answers to his questions (but this is the true mystery about faith, about religion itself). Wisdom is Job’s tool, used to discriminate between good and evil, his choice towards a decision. At the end it is clear, Job fears God, avoids evil and pursues wisdom. Job was a man who wanted to learn.