Conceal talent.
Shield your light.
Bide your time.
Once you can follow Tao with skill, hide your abilities. Privately accumulate extraordinary knowledge and skill, but keep a plain appearance.There is great wisdom in being inconspicuous. Do not brag or try anything beyond your means. Don't let yourself become unbalanced before you have fully mastered an art. Thus, you will not be expected to use your talents on behalf of others unless you yourself volunteer, you will not become the victim of others' resentment, and the depth of your character will not be judged. When you know how to hide, you avoid the attention and scorn of others, but retain the strategic advantage of surprise. You need to do this not for personal advantage, but to manage yourself and your skills well.
Knowledge and skill are neutral. They are meant to be used. That is all. Mastery should not be used to bolster self-image. We should not allow ourselves to be categorized by what we do know. It is far better to simplify ourselves and free ourselves from the limits of tightly defined identities.
Personal Interpretation
Wise practitioners of Tao know when to act and when to hold back. They also know when to reveal their skill and when to conceal it. We should all strive to live modestly, to show the world a plain appearance, to be humbled rather than the thing that humbles. What others do not know cannot breed resentment. Concealment is also essential for good strategy. It enables us to use our skills when the situation calls for them rather than for self-glorification.. We must live our lives on our own terms and this means controlling what others know about us and our capabilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment