Confucius on revenge

This quote popped up in my Confucius app on my iGoogle dashboard a few weeks ago:

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”

A wise old geezer…

One for the Planet

I stopped by Designers & Agents (D&A) trade show earlier this week and was encouraged to see a whole floor dedicated to green indie labels. That’s a first in fashion.

On my way out, I grabbed a copy of planet magazine (”global culture and lifestyle”). I used to read this magazine from time to time (I have a soft spot for small, scappy street mags), but it’s been a while.

There’s some fresh content in here… I especially like the colorful, short piece on Manu Chao. Here are some bits & pieces:

“I don’t believe in a single revolution anymore,” he explains, without a hint of resignation. “I have hopes for thousands of revolutions in the neighborhoods of the world. We must get along as neighbors first. If we wait for the powers that be to find a solution for us all to get along as neighbors, we’ll be waiting a very long time. We have to find the solutions at our own level.

… I have never been taken in by consumerism. You know, la dictadura de lo neuvo” (The Dictatorship of the New). He continues, in English: “Everybody must be new, new, new, original. If you don’t have the new, you’re nobody.” Then, in Spanish, “It’s terrible. If your son doesn’t have the new shoes when he gets to school, he’s not worth shit. I don’t change my shoes until they are completely worn out. Because they’re part of me; I cherish them…”

Damn straight!

Lao Tsu: perspective on mind, body, spirit

This was passed along by a friend at Pompei AD.

It was written 2,500 years ago, so when the author says ancient times, he means ancient!

“In ancient times, people lived holistic lives. They didn’t overemphasize the intellect, but integrated mind, body, and spirit in all things.

This allowed them to become masters of knowledge rather than victims of concepts. If a new invention appeared, they looked for the troubles it might cause as well as the shortcuts it offered. They valued old ways that had been proven effective, and they valued new ways if they could be proven effective.

The Unborn Mind

Here’s an excerpt from the Buddha’s Dhammapada, via a friend from Pompei AD. It’s worth reading this carefully every month or so…

The Unborn Mind
from the Buddha’s Dhammapada

Live in joy,
In love,
Even among those who hate.

Live in joy,
In health,
Even among the afflicted.

Cha-Ching: timeless tips from another sage

Here are a few more choice tips from “The Art of War” (see earlier post), referring to the importance of adaptation as one of the cornerstones of “the warrior’s art”, or effective leadership.

Only these aren’t from the master himself (Sun Tzu), they’re from another work called “I Ching”, referenced in the translator’s introduction (no, I’m not reading the book backwards):

“If you take on too much without a solid foundation, you will eventually be drained, leaving you with embarrassment and bad luck.”

“Persist too intensely at what is currently beyond your depth, and your fidelity to that course will bring misfortune, on gain.”

Most entrepreneurs try to do too much, too quick, with too few resources, so this sounds like good advice from I Ching.

Five virtues of a good leader

I’m half-way through a fascinating little book called The Art of War (Thomas Cleary translation). The original text was compiled over two-thousand years ago by Sun Tzu, an enigmatic fellow to be sure. In spite of its warring title, the book is filled with gems re: enlightened leadership (”to win without fighting is best”, Sun Tzu said). Consider this one by Jia Lin (Tang Dynasty, 618-906), commenting on Sun Tzu’s five virtues of leadership:

Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness. Fixation on trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive sternness of command results in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a military leader.

[my underline & italics]