Not Doing

Not exalting the gifted prevents quarreling.
Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,
By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.
If people lack knowledge and desire,
Then it is best not to interfere.
If nothing is done, then all will be well.
-- TTC
(I am deeply amused by linking to Amazon there)

I've been thinking about this chapter for the past year or so. There is a certain truth to it that is hard to ignore.

"Something for nothing", pushing limits -- society seems to increasingly believe that everything is their right, and I find myself on the other side of a generational divide. I suppose this is inevitable with time.

To regularly see people set themselves and each other up for failure, yet do nothing; but what is the point of advice not taken, save to give me peace of mind? Futile is too pleasant a word. At this point, I'm resigned to only helping those who explicitly ask for it and act on it.

---

Sitting on the sidelines and watching the end of multiple eras. Political leadership, committee work, advising knowledge, course infrastructure; at both macro and micro scales, it takes two for a handoff to succeed. Thus far, the biggest threat seems to always be the people who cannot let go. So, being long past the point where someone else should have taken over, I ossify further into dormancy.

People do need to build their own futures. We'll see where that leads...