Tag: wisdom

Posted in History & Literature

The Great Dictator

Posted on by Jinavie

The following is the final speech given by Charlie Chaplin in the movie The Great Dictator (1940). To this day, it is considered one of the most inspirational speeches in modern history. (NB: video excerpt at the end)

“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another.

In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood, for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people and so long as men die, liberty will never perish.

Soldiers! Don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think or what to feel! Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural!

Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty! In the 17th Chapter of St. Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then, in the name of democracy, let us use that power! Let us all unite! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work that will give youth the future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfil their promise; they never will. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people! Now, let us fight to fulfil that promise! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness.

Soldiers! In the name of democracy, let us all unite!“

Posted in Life & Happiness

Carriage

Posted on by Jinavie

There was a disciple who bought an expensive carriage. He did not want to damage it and so never took it out and instead cleaned it every day. One day, his master visited his house and saw his disciple polishing the carriage. He asked:
“Who owns this carriage?”
“I do.”
“It appears to me that the carriage owns you.”
“…What do you mean, master?”
“Are you not treating the carriage as a servant serves its master?”
“…”
“What you do not enjoy cannot be called your possession. Only by enjoying it do you possess it. Not only objects, but the warm sunshine, fresh air, beautiful scenery are all a man’s possessions if he enjoys them. A person who can enjoy many things can be called truly rich. If a person enjoys the world, even without a single penny they are the wealthiest person in the world.”

The foolish disciple was proud of his carriage that he spent so much money on, when he could not even use it. The way people treat the learning of knowledge and skills is similar to how the disciple treated the carriage. People look for all kinds of luxurious carriages that they will not, or cannot even use.

What is infinitely better is to enjoy and indulge in the carriage you already own to move forward in your life, no matter how cheap and ragged it may be. In fact, believing that your carriage is old and worn-out is simply a delusion. Within the most basic carriage lies the secret to enlightenment. However, those who are blinded by delusion that they must seek a fancier, stronger-looking carriage that requires less effort can never see that. The Bluebird of Happiness that you have been seeking forever has been waiting inside you all this time. But how can you learn the ultimate secret if you do not even think about looking deep within your heart?

There is a world of difference between possession and enjoyment. Do not seek the talents of others, cultivate and develop the talents you already own. To be satisfied with what you have and enjoying it – that is the secret to happiness.

Posted in History & Literature

Dragon’s Scale

Posted on by Jinavie

According to the ancient writings of Chinese author Han Feizi, a dragon is a gentle creature that a man can tame and even ride on the back of. However, one must be extremely cautious of the inverted scale on the neck of the dragon. Touching this scale will cause the dragon to become enraged, immediately killing the person.

Any person has strengths and weaknesses. Some people love to draw out another person’s weakness and are deluded that finding a person’s greatest weakness is a victory. But in human relationships, touching another person’s “inverted scale” can be a critical mistake. Who would want to deal with a person that prods at their weakness? Even during a heated debate, attacking the opponent serves no purpose and is only a destructive act. This kind of dirty move may bring you short-term “victory”, but in the long-term it can cause you to be forever alone. No matter how gentle the person may be, picking on something they are sensitive about may cause them to strike down with great vengeance and furious anger upon you.

The wisdom of the anecdote of the dragon’s scale can also be applied to how people should treat those below them. Whatever your position may be, making fun of your staff’s weaknesses will lead to the loss of trust and respect from them. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War teaches that a general must never attack a soldier’s faults but rather show wisdom in helping the soldier fix the problem on their own.

Lastly, when persuading another person, instead of speaking of their weaknesses, bring up their strengths. Avoiding the “inverted scale” is one of the most important skills in the art of persuasion.

The most important aspect of relationships is following the philosophy of 1 + 1 = 3 by co-operating and having a constructive meeting. A destructive person that attacks others can never progress.

Posted in History & Literature

Leaf In The Water

Posted on by Jinavie

In the year 914 (during the Later Three Kingdoms period of Korea), a general named Wang Geon was on his way to strike the kingdom of Later Baekje. He noticed a strange, colourful cloud in the sky and when he went there to investigate, he found a maiden washing clothes by a well. He approached her and asked for some water. The maiden politely accepted and went to fetch a gourd of water, placed a willow tree leaf in it then handed it to Wang Geon. Curiously, he asked:

“What is the reason for putting a leaf in the water?”
“You appeared to be very thirsty so I was worried that you would gulp down the water too quickly and upset your stomach.”

He was touched by her consideration and wisdom and fell in love with her, so he asked her hand in marriage before leaving the town.

In 918, Wang Geon became the first king of Goryeo after successfully unifying the three kingdoms of the Korean peninsula. The maiden is now known as Empress Janghwa; that is the story of how a girl became an empress from a simple act of kindness and tenderness.

Posted in Philosophy

Untitled

Posted on by Jinavie

Solve the following riddle:

It is greater than a god and more evil than a devil.
The poor have it while the rich lack it.
If you eat it, you will die.

To find the answer, you must look within yourself and travel against the flow of time.

Continue reading “Untitled” →

Posted in Philosophy

Two Wolves

Posted on by Jinavie

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them: 

“A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil – he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority and ego. 
The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. 
This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too.”

They thought about what the elder had said, and then one child asked his grandfather: 
“Which wolf will win, Grandfather?”

The elder simply replied:
“The one you feed.”

Posted in History & Literature

Right And Wrong

Posted on by Jinavie

Hwang Hee was one of the greatest scholars in Chosun (modern day Korea) and served as a minister for 18 years. There is one famous tale that shows his wisdom and character.
One day, two of Hwang Hee’s servants we’re fighting over who was right. They came to Hwang and asked him to judge who was right.
When one child stated his opinion, Hwang said: “You are right”.
Then, the other child retorted in a heated manner and Hwang said again: “You are right”.
His cousin who was observing this asked: “Surely one was wrong for the argument to have started. Why do you say that both are right?”.
Hwang smiled and replied to him: “You are right also”.

There is much to be learnt from Minister Hwang Hee’s broad-mindedness, benevolence and wisdom even now, over 500 years since his time. Arguments are destructive acts with no gain. Instead of debating the right and wrong of every little thing, it is far more effective to seek relative and absolute knowledge.

Posted in Philosophy

The Truth Lies Within The Finger

Posted on by Jinavie

A wise man points at the moon, but the fool looks at the finger. (Chinese proverb)

The wise man explains that his finger is not important and what should be looked at is the moon, but the fool carefully listens to him and thinks that he is a very good speaker. (a modern adaptation of the proverb)

The wise man pleads the fool to look at the damn moon, but the fool is only afraid and does not look up. (a very modern adaptation of the proverb)

The wise man finally gives up talking about the moon and instead starts talking about his finger, which he thinks the fool will be more interested in. The fool then says to himself, that the wise man is someone who is able to explain his own stories to others in an easily understandable manner, and that he can talk about any subject – even a random thing such as a finger. (an even more modern adaptation of the proverb)

When the wise man dies, the fool asks himself: “So really, what was it the wise man tried to explain to us lifting his finger so high?” (the ultimate adaptation of the proverb)

(from Paradise by Bernard Werber)

Posted in Philosophy

Glass Of Water

Posted on by Jinavie

A pessimist sees a glass as half empty.

An optimist sees a glass as half full.

A wise, happy person drinks the refreshing liquid and then pours another glass.

(also see Points of View)

Posted in History & Literature

Alchemy

Posted on by Jinavie

Alchemy, which is considered the origin of chemistry, is commonly thought to have originated in ancient Egypt, but many scholars in the East studied it also. For example, Chinese alchemists invented black powder, the first gunpowder.
The history of alchemy can be seen from ancient Egyptian books dating to 4000BC.

There were two things that alchemists sought: transmutation of common metals into gold, and the creation of the philosopher’s stone. A philosopher’s stone is a mystical stone believed to drastically boost an alchemist’s abilities and grant immortality. This is similar to Eastern alchemy’s goals of seeking immortality. 
Also, the idea from ancient Greece that all matter is formed from the four elements air, water, fire and earth, is very similar to the Five Element Theory of Eastern philosophy.
However, the major difference between Western and Eastern alchemy is that Western alchemists sought gold for wealth while Eastern alchemists sought medicine for the people.

In the Middle Ages, a “recipe” was invented for transmutation and the creation of the philosopher’s stone, called Magnum Opus, or “The Great Work”. It mentions three steps, which strangely mimics the creation of the world.
Firstly, the Black Step (nigredo) involves mixing Materia Prima (the first matter) in earth and burning it. This causes all the ingredients to become a black, solid mixture, entering a state of chaos.
Secondly, the White Step (albedo) heats this black solid, turning it into a liquid (a property of water). Impurities are washed away by aqua vitae, The Water of Life.
(Some sources suggest that there is another step, the Yellow Step (citrinitas), between the White Step and the Red Step, that involves the “yellowing” of the matter into gold.) 
Lastly, the Red Step (rubedo) continues to add heat until the liquid is totally purified, while obtaining the sediments created from the fusion of matter and spirit, which is gold.

At the end of these three steps, the alchemist gains the philosopher’s stone. Upon closer inspection, one can see how the steps transform simplicity into complexity, bring order to chaos, and develop ignorance into enlightenment.
Therefore, the philosopher’s stone is only the knowledge that we gain, nothing more, nothing less. Although that may not be a simple task.