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When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.
A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.
If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world.
61
Tao Te Ching, a New English Version, copyright ©️ 1988 by Stephen Mitchell, published by HarperCollins. All rights reserved.
This journey of life is like painting a self-portrait. Every day is one small stroke.
The people around you and the moments shared are the only mirrors available.
Our early years form the silhouette and the obvious features. The Face, the hair, the hands.
But time allows for refinement and discovery. A chromatic look perhaps, or a contrived smile. Are you happy with how it’s turning out?
When a true Artist makes a mistake, or someone points it out, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He has no hidden agenda but the search for truth. It's never personal, it’s just the way it is.
He works on it as a gift; to everyone and to no one. Like a tree growing an apple, not caring whether anyone will take it.
Quote of the Week
“What, after all, do we listen for when we listen to a composer? He need not tell us a story like the novelist; he need not “copy” nature like the sculptor; his work need have no immediate practical function like the architect’s drawing. What is it that he gives us, then? Only one answer seems possible to me: He gives us himself. Every artist’s work is, of course, an expression of himself, but none so direct as that of the creative musician. He gives us, without relation to exterior “events,” the quintessential part of himself—that part which embodies the fullest and deepest expression of himself as a man and of his experience as a fellow being.”
- Aaron Compland - American Composer
Song Picks of the Week (Official TTT Playlist here)
Bird - Recondite (Electronic)
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 (Classic)
Thank you for reading!
Until next Tuesday,
Daniel