January 25th

Uselessness


An ancient gnarled tree :
Too fibrous for a logger's saw,
Too twisted to fit a carpenter's square,
Outlasts the whole forest.

Loggers delight in straight-grained, strong, fragrant wood. If the timber is too difficult to cut, too twisted to be made straight, too foul-odored for cabinets, and too spongy for firewood, it is left alone. Useful trees are cut down. Useless ones survive.The same is true of people. The strong are conscripted. The beautiful are exploited. Those who are too plain to be noticed are the ones who survive. They are left alone and safe.
But what if we ourselves are among such plain persons? Though others may neglect us, we should not think of ourselves as being without value. We must not accept the judgment of others as the measure of our own self-worth. Instead, we should live our lives in simplicity. Surely, we will have flaws, but we must take stock in them according to our own judgment and then use them as a measure of self-improvement. Since we need not expend energy in putting on airs or maintaining a position, we are actually free to cultivate the best parts of our personalities. Thus, to be considered useless is not a reason for despair, but an opportunity. It is the chance to live without interference and to express one's own individuality.

Personal Interpretation: 

We should not necessarily hold ourselves to the same standards that society does. What society holds to be beautiful is not always so. Epitomes of extreme find it difficult to find and maintain balance in their lives. They are exploited for some characteristic that they possess.

We should make an effort to value ourselves, but to be content to occupy low places. We should seek to live modestly. It is useless to spend a lot of energy on things that don't really matter in the end. We should ultimately spend less time beautifying ourselves or otherwise making ourselves into something society desires, and more time cultivating the deeper aspects of our natures. At every turn, we should be true to ourselves and work to acknowledge the truer, more valuable aspects of the natures of others as well.