August 18th

Perfection


The hero comes down from the mountain,
Radiant with the power.
Yet one tussle with a dusty old man
Quickly tumbles him into the dirt.

In olden times, young men and women who wanted to be extraordinary trained in the mountains with a famous master. Away from all the distractions of society, isolated in the cleanliness, they remained on a high peak and did not come down until they had attained great ability. Such people were heroes, the pinnacle of cultivation. However, in their subsequent wanderings in the world, such heroes would often come upon some oldster who could quickly best them. Whether in philosophical debate or physical skill, there was always some obscure wanderer who could outshine even the greatest of heroes. Why? Because the hero only had perfection, the strength of youth, and courage. The oldsters had the advantage of experience and wisdom.
There will always be people in the world better than yourself. Learn to recognize those elders who are wiser than you, and respect them. Know that you yourself will not be great until you have lived a long time.
To perfect oneself is difficult but not rare. To have perfect wisdom is rare indeed.


Personal Interpretation

 The pursuit of perfection is a worthy aim, even if it can never be attained in this lifetime, but the achievement and application of wisdom is even more important. Wisdom comes with experience, age, and resilience. We must cultivate patience in order to cultivate wisdom. The journey ahead is long, but worthwhile. Let us begin it today.In the meantime, we owe it to ourselves to respect those who are wiser than we. They can light the way for us.