Chapter 2

Eleven, the theme of life: the scenery ahead is always beautiful.

Chapter Eleven, the theme of life: the scenery ahead is always beautiful.

Liu Guozong

I am a tracker, pulling the boat of life upstream. The tiny ripples by the water's edge are all stained with the color of my sweat.

"Friend, where do you come from? Where are you going?"

The small bird by the river asked me.

"I come from the cradle of maternal love, and I want to bathe in the sea?"

I said to the little ones.

"Friend, where is the sea?"

"At the place where this river flows to its end, where the sun rises, where the sunset sinks into dusk."

"Friend, what kind of people are sitting on that boat? How many people are pulling the tracker with you?"

"On the boat sit my youthful ideals and fantasies; pulling the tracker with me, besides me, there is also my shadow."

"Friend, aren't you lonely and sorrowful?"

"No, I am never lonely; I am very happy. The ripples by the water constantly sing for me, and along my journey, the scenery in the shadows never stops changing its beautiful colors."

"How far is the sea still?"

"The sea in my imagination seems near before my eyes yet far at the horizon. Although my journey is still long, and unknown waves lie ahead, I am neither pessimistic nor disappointed. I trek across mountains and rivers day and night without cease, and I sing day and night without cease; for hope is in my heart, and dawn is before my eyes."

In the arduous trek, I saw those who were dead, or appeared dead, and with the nourishment of sweat dripping during my trek, they regained life; the stiff branches became supple again, the withered yellow grass turned lush green. 'This embodies a miracle of life: there is no death in the world, only eternal life.' This is my insight from the trek. The theme of life is: the scenery ahead is always beautiful. In my imagination of the scenery ahead, every inch is beautiful; otherwise, why would my steps never cease moving forward?

Could it be said that every living thing on Earth, in its own life process, is doing its utmost to offer the world the most beautiful part of its life? Like plants blooming the most fragrant and beautiful flowers, bearing the sweetest fruits; even the small grass that is despised and trampled is striving to show its little green to those who view it.

If plants can do this, then we humans should not constantly move forward, presenting the beauty of our lives to the world as we go?

Then what is beauty? Or what is beauty? Who said: love life, and you too are beautiful?

"Beauty is life"—who said that? I say: there is beauty in life; people can only reveal and display beauty in life. Leaving society, leaving life, leaving the trek, leaving forward walking, where would that beauty come from? Friend, love life; in loving, beauty will appear beside you, and you too will become beautiful.

If you can shape a beautiful self in life and create beautiful things, then you are surely beautiful as well.

Chapter Twelve, a life of beauty once.

Liu Guozong

It is said that on the Gobi Beach in Africa grows a small flower called Yimi, which is quite peculiar. It is peculiar for two reasons: first, its fragrance when blooming is strange; second, the color of its petals is strange. When it blooms, its petals show four colors, each petal a single color: red, yellow, blue, purple. One glance makes one unwilling to look away, lingering unwilling to leave, praising endlessly; not counting the peculiarity of its petals, its fragrance when blooming is even more peculiar—in the vast, boundless desert, people three or four li away can smell its refreshing fragrance. Its flower color and fragrance being so peculiar often bring surprise, walking strength, and hope to travelers crossing the desert.

Yet its flowering period is very short, only two or three days from bloom to wither. People admire its beauty and strange fragrance, yet sigh at its brief bloom: such a peculiar and beautiful flower, why is its life so short?

Actually, people there know that this beautiful and peculiar little Yimi, for these two or three days of beauty, has stored up six whole years. During these six years, it silently endured the wind and sand blowing in the desert, the scorching heat of the sun, the trampling of wild beasts, the harm from birds, and the boundless loneliness of the desert. In short, for those two or three days of beauty under the sun, it willingly endures any hardship, accepts any injury and blow. As long as this lowly, humble life growing in obscurity can have a chance at beauty, any sacrifice is willing and worthwhile.

Someone said, a candle cannot speak, but its light can illuminate a corner of darkness; a rose cannot speak, but its beauty is the language of fragrance. Although we cannot be as peculiar, fragrant, beautiful, and eye-catching as the Yimi in the desert, I can be like an ordinary candle, using my own light to bring friendly light to others on life's journey; like an ordinary rose, using my own manner to send fragrance to the surrounding world.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Baoyu was originally a stone left by Nüwa when she mended the heavens, abandoned at the riverside. Abandoned, again abandoned at the riverside—truly unfortunate, truly lonely. To dwell long in that desolate, uninhabited riverside, is it not a dead stone, a foul stone? To turn what was once vibrant life into a dead, foul stone—what meaning does such life have? Therefore, that stone, that foul stone, unwilling to be abandoned, unwilling to be lonely, also wishes to come to the human world to experience something, to be beautiful once. Although this human world has murder, **, furtive coupling, theft, false testimony, slander and other unpleasant things, yet after all I have gained a chance at life. Although this chance is fleeting, will be "morning like black silk, evening turned to snow," we can still seize it moment by moment. Let every fraction of a second of life bring light and heat to the world around us, let the humble life become beautiful and fragrant, adorning the world around us. That monk and Taoist were finally moved by this stone abandoned by Nüwa, and he brought his ideals and wishes to walk through this windy, rainy world of humans. Since abandoned, lacking talent to mend the azure heavens, unable to shine like stars in the sky, drawing countless gazes; among the myriad beings, is there not also a chance for ordinary life to shine? If forever abandoned, lying in ditches and deserts, what meaning and value would this life have?

Therefore, that lost stone has come, becoming the regret‑free "Jia Baoyu" of the human world. Go be beautiful once.

Chapter Thirteen, The Length and Breadth of Life

Liu Guozong

A wise man said, the value of a person's life lies not in its length but in its breadth. Life's length is easy to calculate; how then is its breadth calculated? China has a saying: Ambition does not depend on age; without ambition, living a hundred years is in vain. Is this "ambition" the breadth of life? What does this "ambition" concretely refer to?

The content of this ambition is very rich. Once Confucius asked his students about their aspirations, and they spoke their inner thoughts in a clamor. Zilu said he could make a small state with a thousand war chariots, within three years resist foreign invasion, with everyone brave and vying forward; Ran Yu said he could, within three years, make everyone in a small state of six or seven li square prosperous and versed in rites; Zeng Dian said he lacked talent to govern and pacify the people, only wishing in late spring to gather a few like‑minded friends, bring a few innocent, lively children, and by the Yi River talk, laugh, and play. Among Confucius's students, Dian was the most unambitious, yet Confucius surprisingly said his own aspiration was the same as Dian's. Was Confucius's breadth of life then very narrow?

The breadth of life is "seize today, make the flame of life burn brighter, better illuminate the masses, so as not to have the lament, 'When old age approaches, the youth who do not strive will in old age merely grieve.'"

The breadth of life "is boundless sky, endless sea, ever‑burning fierce fire, ever‑shining radiance, wind that rages or calms, clouds that flash with thunder and pour rain, brooks that sing or lament, trees that flower in spring and shed leaves in autumn, lofty mountains and sunken valleys, fertile or barren land, an elder responsible for his children, a youth lost between his faith and love, a middle‑aged person contending with his past and future, a hermit worshipping in his thatched hut, a prisoner confined in his prison, a scholar buried in his study and piles of paper, a fool dwelling in his night's darkness and day's light, a nun placed amid the profuse blossoms and solitary thorns of his faith, a prostitute situated between his weak canine teeth and demanding claws, a poor person caught between bitterness and submission, a rich man entangled between greed and concession, a poet placed between the mist of his dusk and the light of magic."

What then is called the length of life? Youthful hero Liu Hulan, facing the enemy's executioner's blade, solemnly asked the headsman: "How shall I die?" When she heroically sacrificed herself, she was only sixteen! Yet who could say Liu Hulan's life span is short?

We can say her ambition was great, and her life's length is also long. For the oppressive landlords and the executioner who killed her have long turned to dust, while Liu Hulan, who gave her life for the righteous cause, still lives in people's hearts.

But there are those who sacrifice themselves for wealth, or who see profit and forget righteousness, or who are corrupt and break the law; one often hears the folk saying: "People die for wealth, birds die for food." Those who die for wealth, in a commodity society awash with material desire, are nothing surprising; of course there are also those who give up life for righteousness. Remember Mengzi said fish and bear's paw cannot both be had. In a commodity society where everything is merchandise, there is one thing that is not a commodity—that is "righteousness." What is righteousness? It is something highly abstract, yet not concrete, something very visible and tangible, moreover extremely good and valuable. Otherwise why would so many benevolent men of ambition sacrifice themselves for righteousness?

What kind of thing is that? Is it tolerance, humility, understanding, mutual love, forgiveness, harmony, endurance, yielding, gentleness, wholehearted devotion to others, full intention, utmost effort?

Chapter Fourteen, The Great Painter

Liu Guozong

Once, a foreign poor painter went to attend a friend's wedding. But the painter was truly destitute—poor to the point of having no food at home, no clothes to wear, so poor that a man in his thirties remained a bachelor, and so poor that he attended the friend's wedding penniless. Without money, how could he go to the friend's wedding? At that time the friend's invitation—he could not not go.

The painter came with a feeling of shame, walking with unsteady steps, arriving at the friend's house. There were sounds of joy and laughter, very lively. Yet the painter, having no money, what face could he possibly save by having no money? Having no money, he met with the scornful looks of all the wedding guests and was shut out the door. The painter suffered terribly. A woman attending the wedding mocked the painter: "No money, why don't you cut off your own ear?"

Indeed, why not cut off your own ear if you have no money? The painter went home and really cut off his own ear. When the painter returned to the friend's house holding his ear, people thought he had gone mad.

This painter is Van Gogh. Great Van Gogh, a genius unmatched in the world. He is as famous as France's Napoleon and America's Washington. His "Sunflowers," his "The Red Vineyard," and every one of his paintings are rare treasures, worth a city. Who would have thought that in life he was so poor and misunderstood? Was it poverty and hardship that made the painter?

Van Gogh once said, "My wealth is my pain." Some say that those who regard pain as wealth, who hoard a lifetime of drift and loneliness, poverty and humiliation like gold, are what made Van Gogh, and Van Gogh's work has become an eternal symbol of the world's reproach of genius.

Who can tell me why? Why does the genius painter treat pain as wealth?

"Tell me, star, your wings of light,"

"lifted high in the flight of your flame"

"to be in that cave of darkness"

"can you fold your wings?"

"Tell me, moon, you pale and feeble"

"wandering weary along the heavenly court's road"

"in that place of yours by day or night"

"can you find peace?"

"Weary wind, ah, you drift without fixed abode"

"like a guest driven away by the world"

"Do you have a secret nest** to shelter in?"

"Or in the treetops or upon the waves?"

Otherwise,

Painter, you even attend friend's

Wedding money all gone.

All gone.

You have money to buy a house?

Fifteen, you cast the net on the right side of the boat…

A poet said: "Opportunity is like the reshuffle on the card table. The upper round you lost, you got a bad hand, this doesn't matter; playing cards, you will always get a bad hand. But the main point is, when you have a bad hand, don't let your mood become bad, but wait until you finish playing this bad hand, then reshuffle. Reshuffling is opportunity; each person draws again, then see who grabs it."

"Having a bad hand, don't let your mood sour." This sentence is very philosophical. The poet tells us, losing a hand doesn't matter; never lose your mood. As long as your mood doesn't lose, the chance to win a hand will always exist. This round I lost, next round I will be the winner. The key is to have a winning mood, have winning confidence. With confidence, there will be a chance to win. There are no ever‑victorious generals, nor ever‑defeated generals. On life's battlefield, one must have the determination and confidence to never leave the battlefield after not winning once.

A literary friend said: The greatest honor in life is not that we have never failed, but that after failing we start again and never yield.

The Bible says: "The swift do not necessarily win, the strong do not necessarily prevail, the wise do not necessarily get food, the discerning do not necessarily get wealth, the skillful do not necessarily get joy; what befalls people is due to the opportunity at that time." A friend successful in business said: To do business you need three fundamentals: capital, ability, and self. He further explained: Without capital, a business cannot get started; with capital, if the operator lacks management methods and skills, it may also fail; even if you have capital and certain management methods and skills, if you do not personally participate, you will not easily succeed. This friend especially emphasized: Although you have capital, ability, and self and participate in management, but if there is no opportunity, you will not succeed. Because: "What befalls an individual depends on the opportunity at that time."

Fifteenth chapter, what is opportunity?

Liu Guozong

At this moment, I recalled a small story from the Bible: Once, Jesus' disciples were fishing at sea; they fished all night but caught not a single fish. At dawn they were hungry and thirsty, just then Jesus arrived. When Jesus understood the situation, he said to them: "Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch." The disciples heard Jesus' words and cast the net on the right side of the boat. When they hauled the net, they felt the net they had sunk was heavy. When they pulled the net ashore, the net actually contained big fish……But why did his disciples toil all night, laboring and losing wealth, yet not catch a single fish? This is opportunity.

Without opportunity, the "fish" you want to catch hasn't arrived yet; there are no fish beside your boat; despite your efforts, you also cannot get a single "fish".

The enlightenment from this story is: whether pursuing studies, wealth, or promotion, like Jesus' disciples fishing, personal effort is only one aspect; to catch the "fish", you need opportunity. If your "left side" has no "fish" or "fish school" yet, no matter how much effort you expend to fish, it's in vain. At this point, why not follow Jesus' example, change your mindset, adjust your fishing method, "cast the net on the right side of the boat"? Never be self‑righteous, even arrogant, thinking you have "capital, ability, and self" and just brute‑force it.

If you do that, you'll be like Jesus' disciples fishing at sea, slapping "capital, ability, and self" all over, yet still catch no fish.

Friend, have you caught a "fish" now? If you have, please cherish it, lest the "fish" you caught runs away; if you haven't caught a "fish" yet, why not change your "fishing" mindset, adjust your "fishing" method, "cast the net on the right side of the boat", and try fishing again?

Sixteenth chapter, do we have our own footprints behind us?

Liu Guozong

According to reports: two people went to the beach for a walk. Among them, the younger one complained to the older one: "My career is mediocre; compared to others, I have no special talent." The older one said to the younger: "Please look back and see if we have our own footprints behind us." The younger looked back; on the way to the beach, the road was crowded with hurried pedestrians; his tiny footprints had already been crushed and swallowed by the crowd; where could he see his own footprints?

The older one saw the younger's doubt and said: "Actually, our footprints have already been left behind us."

The reason you can't see them is simple: because we walk where countless people have walked, our footprints are covered up; how could you see them? If we walked on the beach where no one passes, if you're willing, let's go to that muddy place to walk; there will surely be deep footprints of ours.

The younger one, upon hearing this, was greatly inspired. After returning from the beach walk to the company, he seemed like a different person; his mindset changed, at work he sought novelty and difference, often proposing unique ideas and suggestions, doubling the company's efficiency. He also quickly gained the CEO's recognition and promotion. Ten years later, he was elected CEO. When he looked back, he finally saw his own "footprints".

From this story, I recalled the ancient Chinese method of Yu the Great's flood control. In Yu's time, everywhere was "Overflowing floodwaters wreak havoc, vast and overflowing, threatening mountains and hills, mighty and towering." The rushing, roaring floodwaters universally caused harm, swallowing everything, surrounding the great mountains, surging toward the sky; the people of the world suffered immensely.

Therefore, the longing for flood‑control talent was the people's wish. Everyone first selected Gong to control water; Gong led the people to block the floodwaters: wherever there was flood, they dug earth and built dams there, stopping the flood. The result was that the more they blocked, the more floodwater accumulated, leading to failure of flood control; then the subjects again recommended Yu the Great to control water.

Yu the Great did not follow old habits; he changed his mindset and method: he changed blocking to guiding. With this change, the torrential floodwaters all flowed from small rivers into large rivers, and then from the large rivers into the sea, so that the floodwaters of the world no longer harmed the masses as before.

This shows that a change in mindset can widen heaven and earth. No wonder the ancients said: "If you renew yourself each day, day after day, again and again." The ancients said: If I could each day experience the world with a fresh mind and view it with a new gaze, the world would surely be new. Clinging to oneself, following rules, like Lin Daiyu entering the Jia mansion in Dream of the Red Chamber, step by step cautious, always attentive, daring not to speak an extra word, dare not take an extra step. Everything follows in others' footsteps, walking behind others, treading the paths others have walked, saying what others say, eating the steamed buns others have chewed; among the myriad beings, in the vast world, how could one leave one's own footprints?

Seventeenth, leave yourself an extra retreat.

Liu Guozong

Putin once evaluated himself, saying: Practicing judo is something I have consciously and voluntarily done all my life; it is not only a sport, but also seems to be a philosophy, teaching me to treat opponents with respect as well.

I greatly appreciate Putin's saying "Treat opponents with respect." Since someone can become your enemy, they surely know your shortcomings, weaknesses, and inadequacies better.

Your opponent will use your shortcomings, weaknesses, and inadequacies to get past you, defeat you, become stronger, and become the award‑winner on the champion's podium.

In response, the British poet Blake also said to his friend:

"I said to my friend: I am angry with you.

The anger then faded,

I dare not speak anger toward my enemy,

letting resentment take root in the heart.

Day and night, trembling with fear,

watering with tears,

bathed in light with a smile and feigned warmth.

until the anger‑grass grows into a big tree,

bearing fruit pleasing to the eye,

the enemy sees its vivid, dripping fruit,

if one cannot obtain it, it's too regrettable.

With great difficulty, nightfall descends,

this is a good time to steal‑pick.

Look! This morning's scene truly delights the heart,

the enemy lies four‑square and steady beneath the tree."

Being able to see one's enemy lying four‑square beneath the tree and feeling moved shows a heart broad enough. In life's journey, everyone will inevitably, to some extent, be hurt by others or hurt others.

Those who harm you, or whom you harm, may become your enemies or adversaries. In the world, there is no person without enemies or foes, unless you are not human (even non‑humans have natural enemies). How to treat one's enemies is indeed another major life lesson. The Bible tells Jesus' disciples: "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you." Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you; can we do that?

Friend, on your life's path, if there is someone who understands you, can you fail to respect them? In life, for those who often remind you of your weaknesses, how can you fail to respect them? Such people, besides your relatives, also include your enemies.

Therefore Laozi said: "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened." Those skilled at knowing and understanding others manifest wisdom. Do you understand your enemy? If you once hated him, from the time you read my words onward, please love him. Be tolerant, be understanding.

Putin also said: Tolerance toward people is also leaving yourself a retreat; you must not push things to the extreme, for if you do, it's tantamount to pushing yourself toward a dead end. In life's journey, who doesn't want lifelong safety, step‑by‑step safety, who would willingly push themselves into a dead end? So you should respect your opponent, be a little more tolerant toward others, and leave yourself an extra retreat.

Eighteenth chapter, those who guard a stump waiting for a rabbit are always despised.

Liu Guozong

Reports tell such a story: a young man walking with his head down accidentally saw five yuan under his foot; he was very delighted and hurriedly picked up the five yuan.

Because the young man tasted the sweetness of walking with his head down, from then on, whenever he went out he always kept his head down, hoping to gain some unexpected "harvest and surprise." As time passed, the hoped‑for "harvest surprise" never appeared again; he also had a youthful adolescent, who, in the hope of gaining without labor, turned into a penniless hunchbacked old man, becoming a laughingstock.

People often say, the meaning of life lies in creation; a life of inaction is one even God does not like. In the Bible there is such a little story: a master going abroad called his servants and entrusted his property to them. According to their abilities, he gave them silver: one received five thousand, another two thousand, another one thousand. After distributing the silver, the master went abroad. The one who received five thousand immediately took it to do business and earned another five thousand; the one who received two thousand likewise earned another two thousand; but the one who received one thousand dug up the ground and buried the master's silver.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned from abroad and settled accounts. The one who had initially received five thousand silver brought the additional five thousand and said: "Lord, you entrusted me with five thousand silver; please see, I have earned another five thousand." The master was very pleased and praised him: "Good, you this good and faithful servant; when you work you must be loyal; I will entrust many matters to you to manage, so you may come and enjoy your master's happiness." The one who had received two thousand also came to the master and said: "Lord, you entrusted me with two thousand silver; I have earned another two thousand."

The master also listened, very satisfied, and praised him: "Good, you this good and faithful servant; I will assign many tasks for you to manage, so you may come and fully enjoy your master's happiness." The one who had received one thousand also said to the master: "Lord, I know you are cautious and meticulous; there is no planted land to reap, no scattered land to gather; I dare not take your silver to engage in business, for fear of burying your one thousand silver in the ground."

Please look, your original silver is here. The master, hearing the last servant's report, became very angry and scolded him: "You wicked and lazy servant, since you know I have no planted fields to reap, no scattered places to gather, you might as well have put my silver with the money-changers, so that when I return I could recover it with interest." After saying this, the master took the thousand silver from that wicked servant and gave it to the servant who had ten thousand silver.

And he drove away the servant with empty hands, because the master knew such people can only stick to the rules, follow in others' footsteps, echo others, and cannot do anything else.

Someone might say, the person who kept the master's thousand silver safe received no reward from the master, but was instead scolded and lost his job—this is rather "that sort of thing".

Yes, is it regrettable? Is it unfair? If God were to praise and reward such people, everyone would just sit back, stick to the old ways, and God's creation of the great world would forever remain unchanged, forever stuck in slash-and-burn agriculture. The progress and expansion of this world rely on human innovation and creation, on human initiative. "Initiative, the world will reward you richly, with both money and honor." Like the servant in the Bible who turned five thousand silver into another five thousand.

What is initiative? "Initiative means you can do an excellent job without anyone telling you." When the master left, he didn't tell him how to earn silver. He took the initiative to create, and not only did he "win" silver, he also gained the master's appreciation and promotion; whereas the passive servant "even if someone chased after him, telling him what to do and watching him, he still wouldn't do the job well." Therefore, such people are always unemployed, despised and looked down upon.

Nineteenth chapter, Cherish the Opportunity to Bloom.

Liu Guozong

The Bible says: "The swift do not necessarily win the race, the strong do not necessarily win the battle, the wise do not necessarily have food, the intelligent do not necessarily gain wealth. Whatever comes upon people at the present moment they concern themselves with."

So how do we seize opportunity? Here is an ancient Greek short story that may enlighten you:

The story goes like this: one day a young man was walking down the street when he saw a peculiar old man. The old man's appearance was very strange; he had many long braids on his forehead, while the back of his head was bald, not a single hair to be found. His legs were also strange, with a pair of wings growing on them; as he walked, he moved as swiftly as an arrow, like a flying bird.

The young man, having never seen such a strange person before, stepped forward and asked for his name.

The peculiarly appearing old man answered the young man: "My name is Time, my alias is Opportunity."

"Why is your appearance so strange?"

The peculiarly appearing old man answered the young man: "The braids on my forehead are called Opportunity; when you meet me, you can seize me at once and use me; but after I have gone, if you try to seize me or use me, I am already gone, for the back of my head is bald, with not a hair. This is called Opportunity being hard to come by, so whenever you have an opportunity you must seize it; never let it slip away quietly from your side, or else regret will come too late."

The young man again asked, not understanding: "Then why do your two legs have wings?"

The peculiarly appearing old man replied: "I already walk very fast, and with wings I go even faster; this is called 'Time flies like an arrow, the sun and moon like flying birds.' Therefore you must cherish time well, seize opportunity, and make good use of it; otherwise you will accomplish nothing and have nothing."

Once a friend told me such a fairy tale: in a secluded valley, there grew many small grasses that could flower. But these flowering grasses are not able to flower at will; they have only one chance to flower in their lifetime. Therefore, whenever it is their turn to flower, they especially cherish their opportunity to bloom, and they wish to display their most beautiful form under the sun.

One day, night fell again, and an angel granted the opportunity to flower to a small patch of grass. This small grass felt joy from heaven: it finally had the chance to display its beauty. The other grasses that did not get the chance to flower looked on with envy and jealousy at this small 'lucky grass'.

This small "lucky grass", thinking that after waiting so long it finally had the chance to flower, I must produce the finest, most beautiful flower. But what kind of flower should I bloom to show my beauty? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple— which color should I choose? The small grass thought and thought; in short, it kept thinking but could not decide on a suitable color. As the sun was about to rise, the small grass still could not decide what color flower to bloom.

The red sun rose gradually eastward, the morning glow beautified the blue sky; a gentle breeze blew over the valley, and the grasses were all in celebration. They all waited eagerly, waiting for that small grass to bloom the most beautiful flower. Yet, it is most regrettable and disappointing that the flower bud in the leaves of that small grass gradually withered and drooped.

Because it had too many choices and hesitated too much, "when it should have acted, it did not," it missed its chance to flower and thus failed to produce its beautiful flower.

Yes, in the course of life we will encounter many opportunities. When faced with many opportunities, we must not be like that small grass, which, because of too many choices or fear of choosing, missed its good chance to bloom, leaving itself with regret, disappointment, and pain, holding a grudge for life.

Twentieth chapter, When the Moon Was Stolen.

Liu Guozong

In 1978, the Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, American writer Singer, told such a story: Once upon a time, in a certain place on Earth, there was a Fool Village, where all the old and young, men and women, were fools.

One night, someone in Fool Village drew water from the well and saw the moon's reflection shaking in the bucket, and thought the moon had fallen into the bucket. They gathered the villagers to cover the bucket, thinking this would prevent the moon from escaping. They planned to catch the moon the next day and sell it on the street for a great fortune.

That night, all the villagers of Fool Village dreamed they had become wealthy.

But the next morning, when they lifted the bucket lid and saw that the moon was gone, the villagers of Fool Village concluded that the moon had surely been stolen. Thus the fools of Fool Village, having lost their chance at wealth, all wept bitterly.

Someone would surely say: "The people of Fool Village are really too foolish; that was just the moon's reflection. Although the reflection temporarily left us, the moon is still in the heavens, and it will appear again in the sky tomorrow night, its reflection will once more appear in the bucket. Why grieve over losing a single imagined beauty, feeling heartbroken and weeping?"

But in real life, those who feel heartbroken and weep over losing a single imagined beauty are far more than just the fools of Fool Village.

Sometimes, our hopes are no different from the fools in Fool Village seeing that elusive moon reflection in the bucket; you cannot, just because you temporarily lost her, weep like the fools of Fool Village. For the moon will always be there, and its lovely reflection will of course also be there. Heaven and earth endure, sun and moon last forever; in the vast world, is it not everywhere that one can see that lovely moon and find its lovely reflection?

Remember that Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo wrote a ci called "Die Lian Hua" with these lines: "The flowers fade, leaving only pale red; the small green apricots; when the swallows fly, the waterside homes are encircled by green; the willow brocade on the branches blows thinner; where under heaven is there no fragrant grass?"

Look at our great poet Su Dongpo, how open-minded he is; he says, though the beloved apricot blossoms have withered and spring has passed, do not grieve over the loss of beauty and fragrance—look at those green fruits, the small apricots, are they not soon to grow? The little swallows dancing over the water are not more eye-catching and adorable? The willow fluff drifting over the green water is not as pure and lovely as the apricot blossoms? In this vast world, where is there no spring grass?

On our life's road, whether pursuing study, employment, promotion, wealth, or love—in short, we face many "lovely moon reflections"; some obtain them, gaining happiness, joy, prosperity, and honor, having fulfilled their wishes, and thus enjoy the spring breeze; others lose them, becoming downcast, sorrowful, impoverished, disappointed, hanging their heads, even unable to recover.

Friend, do not grieve because the "lovely moon reflection" temporarily leaves us; when another night comes, there will be a more beautiful, brighter moon, giving you a more lovely, enchanting moon reflection, leading you to a higher, more beautiful state.

The Bible has this saying: "But he who comes after me has greater ability than I."

Friend, are you that one who comes after me?

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