All things flows
Heraclitus (535-475 BCE) said, "All things flow." "You cannot step twice in the same river." "There is no permanent." He is right1x Everything is changing. Opposition brings together, and from discord comes perfect harmony.
A great King summoned his wise men. He ordered them, "Create for me a maxim that will stabilize my inner state. When I am in trouble it will bring me a solution. When I am sorrow it will bring me joy, and when I am happy it will remind me of sadness." The wise men consulted and contemplated deeply the King's command.
Finally, they returned to King bearing a small box. In it there was a ring, and inside the ring was inscribed. The King kept it with him always. One day, the enemy country invaded this Kingdom and the King escaped from the enemy and hided in the mountain. The King opened the ring and there were the following words: "This too shall pass1x" So he relaxed and finally recaptured his Kingdom.
Our trouble will be gone sooner or later. Everything is changing and come and goes. But keep this in your mind: difficulties will arise when you start doing right things.
If you don't do anything there will be no difficulty at all. But when you start doing something (specially right thing) difficulties arise. It is natural1x
So if you see that difficulties have arise, you can feel that you are on the right track-something is happening to you1x Then old barriers will break, old habits will go, there will be change, and there will be disturbance and chaos. All pains are touchstone to grow1x
All creativity comes out of chaos.You will be created anew only if all that you are become chaotic.
Every moment something is around you. Things are there, events are there, persons who are willingly helping you are there-but because you are not alert, and you are not there.
Everything is there but you are fast asleep. So you can't see the situation. A strong person, alert and aware, will start to change himself, not the situation in which he is, because really the situation cannot be changed. Even if you can change the situation, there will be other situation. Every moment situations go on changing, so every moment the problem will be there.
Wake up1x You can become something more, someone who is not dependent on the situations. You are dependent on the situation: if the situation is not okay, you will not be okay. So you are not an independent entity.
There are three steps of growth1x Firstly, when the situation is the master, you are just dragged by it. You believe that you are, but you are not master at all because the situation controls you.
Secondly, you are, and situation cannot drag you, the situation cannot influence you because you have become a will, you are integrated and crystallized.
Thirdly, you start influencing the situation: just by changing yourself, you changed being there, the situation changes1x
When 4 years old (My daddy can do everything.)
7 years old (My daddy knows a whole lot.)
9 years old (Dad doesn't know quite everything)
12 years old (Dad just doesn't understand)
14 years old (Dad is old-fashioned)
21 years old (That man is out of touch)
25 years old (Dad's okay)
30 years old (I wonder what Dad thinks about this)
35 years old (I must get Dad's input first)
50 years old (What would Dad have thought about that?)
60 years old (I wish I could talk it over with Dad once more.)
How old are you now? And what do you think about your Dad?
And what do you think about yourself?
~Sang Bong Lee, Ph.D.
(Philosopher & Poet)
*Contact: P.O. Box 52063, Philadelphia, PA. 19115
*All rights reserved and copyrighted by Sang Bong Lee, Ph.D.
*Reprinted here by permission of Sang Bong Lee, Ph.D.
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