Posted by comments? on January 23, 2003 at 17:17:20:
Success or Failure
Success or failure comes from what choice you make in life. Life is a challenge and there are two ways to choose—a right road or a wrong road. Success comes from
choosing one of these ways but it can not be achieved from being neutral and common
sense tells us that success will not come from choosing the wrong path.
· Neutral is equal to failure. By being neutral you have no challenge for there are no decisions to make, there is no road to follow. Every day is just wasted. Remember, yesterday can never return to you today. One main principal of knowledge is to know the difference between the right path and the wrong path—a person who understands the principals of life has earned the right to say he/she is a person of knowledge.
· Do not choose sides means do not favor one side or the other. It does not mean stay neutral. Recognition comes from earning. Earning comes from taking sides, that is, choosing between a right road or wrong road. Choosing a right road earns good recognition. Choosing a wrong road leaves on guilt.
· There are two ways to look at failure during your life. The first is to fail “invisibly” by leaving on the guilt of a wasted life and the second is to fail “visibly” by not obtaining materials and wealth.
· It is possible for someone to feel they have achieved the success of daily life in the “visible” aspects, such as, materials and financial status, but often they have failed at the “invisible” success in knowing the basic principle of life and to live with it in every day life.
· To take a neutral position with a situation of right or wrong in front of you is selfish. It is selfish to wait, sit back, and reap the benefits of staying safe rather than to choose the main principle of life. Neutral is looking for personal benefit.
· Right or wrong does not come from your personal judgment. Your personal judgment always favors yourself Favoring yourself is not the right answer, the right road. Favoring the other side is not the right answer either. Right and wrong were
· there before you were born. Personal beliefs of right and wrong bring with them confusion from your own thought. This is the worst way to make a mistake.
· Someone might be able to hide from others, but you cannot hide from yourself You cannot run away from what you did. Remember, right or wrong, you have to live with what you do for the rest of your life. You can lie towards the “visible” but not towards the “invisible”. One may have knowledge in the sense that they have memorized or copied from books and not know life. How can one say or believe they are knowledgeable and not know life? How can someone say they have knowledge and not know himself? No knowledge of life is to fail life. Success of the “visible,” failure of the “invisible”.
· The best judgment to make in life is not to be influenced by yourself. In life there are two ways of influence (or to be fooled), One is by others, the other is by yourself In other words, your biggest enemy is in you (also your closest friend is in you). The next is others. Most foolish is when you cannot “get out” of your own thought. Know that the decision of right or wrong is there, but not from your own thought.
· Most sad in this life is to not know the difference between a right and wrong road. When you cannot see someone fool you with right or wrong. When you can be influenced and swayed by the thoughts and games of others. This is when you have lost yourself The greatest loss in this life is to lose yourself, there is nothing worse.
Winning others is victory. Winning yourself is success.
In order to retain the original meaning of this philosophy the literal translations will be followed. Many words and phrases do not translate directly into the English language. The grammar and structure of sentences varies greatly also. The goal is to communicate the meaning in its original context whenever possible.