Chapter 738: The Answer of the Blooming Flower

The Answer of the Blooming Flower

March 17: The Answer of the Blooming Flower

"When flowers bloom, they do not contend for spring; when leaves fall, they do not resent earliness." When flowers bloom, they do not vie for spring light; could it be that they bloom merely for the sake of blooming? In the world, are there truly flowers of such noble quality?

What is the meaning of a flower that does not contend for spring? Blooming is to display the beauty of life; display is a kind of 'contention,' even though subjectively there is no desire to contend; but objectively, it still is contending.

Contention is also one of the meanings of life; a life without contention with the world is like rotten wood. However, in nature, the contention for spring among flowers, grasses, springs, and the vast heavens and oceans differs in meaning and form from humanity's 'contention for spring'.

The flower's contention for spring is to consciously display its beauty to the world, without seeking anything; whereas humanity's 'contention for spring' is to seek from the world.

A Song dynasty person, 6 You, said: by the broken bridge in the wilderness, a plum tree blooms in wind and rain; although it blooms beautifully, no one appreciates its beauty. This plum tree, because of its beauty, receives no appreciation or attention, and is also eroded and battered by wind and rain, and even suffers unwarranted envy from other flowers, feeling lonely, even sorrowful.

This flower was smeared by 6 You with the poet's own subjective colors, and thus changed.

"Without intentionally contending for spring, I let the myriad flowers envy." That is something that cannot be clearly explained: you say you 'do not intentionally contend for spring,' yet why do you bloom so beautifully? Is your beauty not meant to make the neighboring flowers look ugly?

In that case, how could you not be subject to envy and suspicion from the neighboring flowers and grasses?

"Fallen to dust, ground into dirt, only the fragrance remains." This is merely a helpless sigh. The early-blooming plum blossom encounters envy from other flowers, and there are two reasons: first, the plum blossom is too beautiful—'wood that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind'; second, the plum blossom bloomed in the wrong place, on the broken bridge, where no one comes to appreciate it.

Actually, a person's growth process is like the early-blooming plum blossom under 6 You's brush: as long as you are more beautiful than the surrounding flowers and grasses, you will suffer varying degrees of envy.

Someone says life is a competitive process. This competition promotes the growth and strengthening of muscles and physique; and as muscles and physique grow and strengthen, one's desire for the surrounding world also continually strengthens. The heart**'s strengthening means competing with the world.

Shakespeare said: 'Spring plants often put forth their buds, only to be gnawed by insects; youth like the morning sun is often battered by strong winds.' What is the insect that gnaws at spring? Is it time? Or is it dreaming within time?

This, Shaweng did not say; he surely knows the answer; what is the strong wind that batters youth, huh? Sha? also did not say; I guess Sha? surely knows the answer; and Sha? leaves the answer to us readers.

But, where is this answer again?