Buddhists tell us to act as if the future of the universe depends on everything we do, while laughing at ourselves for thinking we can make the slightest difference.
This idea resonates with me - I am as powerless as any of the other ignorant masses, but morally, it strikes a discord to throw up my hands in helplessness and turn, instead, to simple pleasures.
Here is another idea with a clear, vibrant no
In a Taoist story, when a farmer’s horse
runs away, his neighbors offer their sympathy. The farmer merely
shrugs: “Who’s to say what’s good or bad?” He turns out to be
prescient, for the very next day the horse returns with a herd of wild companions. Now the neighbors rejoice for their friend, but his
reaction is the same: “Who’s to say what’s good or bad?” Sure
enough, on the day after that, his son tries to ride one of the wild
horses. He breaks a leg. “Too bad,” say the neighbors, but the farmer
will have none of it. The very next morning an army comes, drafting
recruits. They spare the farmer’s son because of his broken leg.
This idea resonates with me - I am as powerless as any of the other ignorant masses, but morally, it strikes a discord to throw up my hands in helplessness and turn, instead, to simple pleasures.
Here is another idea with a clear, vibrant no
In a Taoist story, when a farmer’s horse
runs away, his neighbors offer their sympathy. The farmer merely
shrugs: “Who’s to say what’s good or bad?” He turns out to be
prescient, for the very next day the horse returns with a herd of wild companions. Now the neighbors rejoice for their friend, but his
reaction is the same: “Who’s to say what’s good or bad?” Sure
enough, on the day after that, his son tries to ride one of the wild
horses. He breaks a leg. “Too bad,” say the neighbors, but the farmer
will have none of it. The very next morning an army comes, drafting
recruits. They spare the farmer’s son because of his broken leg.
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