Chapter 179: Go With The Flow
A younger brother asked the boy, “Big Brother, isn’t cultivating the Dao supposed to be about going with the flow? Why are you teaching me to resist?”
The boy retorted, “What does ‘going with the flow’ mean? See the flowers? Don’t they grow naturally?”
“Yes, what’s wrong with that, Big Brother?”
“Don’t you notice anything wrong?”
“No, Big Brother, what do you mean?”
The boy explained, “People are like flowers. Growing upwards is what’s natural! It doesn’t mean doing nothing and calling it natural; you’ve got it wrong! Continuously absorbing nutrients from various things in life to strengthen yourself and keep growing upward is what’s natural! Haven’t they always told you to study hard and make progress every day since you were little? Why are you so foolish.”
“Huh? Going with the flow means becoming stronger and stronger?”
“What else do you think? It’s the complete opposite of what you understood before, which is why you were so dazed. The Way of Nature, whether for plants or animals, is constant upward growth, and people are the same. The cultivation of the heart and mind for longevity and eternal life is also the same. Furthermore, all things in life getting better and better is the Way of Nature. Only by withstanding the wind and rain can you see the rainbow; only by enduring everything can you become a towering tree. Following this pattern is what going with the flow means.
Take studying for example. You need to constantly learn and grow, that’s the right way, not giving up on yourself and waiting for death, which is what people mistakenly call going with the flow. That’s just waiting to die.
“Huh? Then why do people always say to go with the flow when a relationship fails?”
“Isn’t that different? For example, if it rains heavily on a flower today, it recovers the next day and continues to bloom proudly. When a relationship fails, it’s like being drenched by rain; let it go, become cheerful again, and continue to bloom. This is the Way of Nature.”
“Huh? Big Brother, this? This is completely different from what I thought before!”
“If it were the same as what you thought, wouldn’t you have already understood life? It’s the opposite, exactly the opposite of what you thought. Cultivating the Dao is cultivating the Way of Nature. This is why the Great Dao is Simple.
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there was a sixty-year-old man who got into an argument with a young man on a bus. The young man then dragged him off the bus and beat him severely.
The old man was someone who cared a lot about his reputation. He thought to himself that at his age, being beaten by a child, he couldn’t let it go and desperately wanted revenge. He decided to learn martial arts and settle the score with the man once he was skilled enough.
So, the old man went to the park and found someone who was very skilled at playing Tai Chi. The old man explained his intentions, but the other person refused to teach him, as martial arts are not for seeking glory but for cultivating character and temperament, and he couldn’t teach it to the old man for fighting.
Seeing that the man refused, the old man kowtowed and pleaded tearfully. The other man’s heart softened, and he agreed.
The old man woke up at three o’clock every day to meet his master and study. He studied diligently for three years and felt he was ready. He then found the man and menacingly asked, “Do you still recognize me?”
The man looked confused. He had long forgotten about the incident and couldn’t recall who this old man was at first.
The old man didn’t care about that. Seeing the man remain silent, he said, “I am the old man you beat three years ago! I’ve come for revenge today!”
Upon hearing this, the man felt he couldn’t indulge the old man any further and directly started fighting.
“Hey~!”
“Ha~!”
“Clang clang, boom ha, crackle crackle, alright~!”
They fought for a long time, and neither gained an advantage. The matter ended unresolved.
Afterwards, the old man thought it was truly meaningless. The man had already forgotten who he was, and he himself had foolishly harbored hatred for three years. He felt it wasn’t even worth it over such a trivial matter.
Instead, because of this incident, he learned Tai Chi Fist, which improved his health more than before.
Reflecting on this, his resentment subsided, and he even felt a little grateful to the man. If not for this incident, he wouldn’t have met his master and learned Tai Chi Fist. He decided to study diligently with his master in the future, cultivate his character and temperament, and no longer engage in strife with others.
Younger brother, did you learn anything from this story?”
“What did I learn, Big Brother? Are you saying that as long as a person is willing to change themselves, they can do it regardless of age? Or perhaps sometimes things that seem bad might turn out to be good a few years later?”
“Exactly. And another thing, this old man was beaten and felt hatred and resentment. He channeled that resentment and hatred into his fighting spirit and unyielding will. That’s why he could fight the man to a draw after three years. When dealing with things in life, one should learn from this old man. Even if you feel resentment and hatred, you can use it to enhance your fighting spirit and grow rapidly, rather than just complaining and dwelling on it without doing anything, which leads to living in perpetual pain. If there’s something you truly cannot get over, learn to transform it and use it as a force that helps you.
When you become a strong person, all the things you couldn’t get over in the past will become things that helped you achieve who you are. Borrowing strength and transforming it will elevate yourself.
In other words, it’s about constantly strengthening oneself, Big Brother?”
“Yes. When you’re in school, study hard. Study whenever you have free time. Studying improves your cognition, and as your cognition improves, you’ll have more methods for everything you do.
“Big Brother, I’m a bit fascinated by you now. I want to follow you my whole life.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Why be fascinated by me? If you want to read, just read. If you want to follow me, then follow me. Why be fascinated? Big Brother is also a mortal; it’s just that my thinking pattern is quite different from ordinary people. There’s nothing special. Don’t read a book and treat me like some great immortal. I’m not that kind of person. Big Brother is also struggling, just like you. It’s just that Big Brother’s ambition has reached the heavens, and you’ve received the signal and it’s coming to your doorstep, hahahaha. Don’t overthink it. Pay attention to resting well. When it’s time to rest, rest. Do what you need to do and focus on the present. Resting well helps nourish your spirit. Otherwise, when you go to class or work, you’ll be confused, unable to focus, and your spirit will be weak. Listen carefully.
“Yes, Big Brother, I’ll listen and go rest now.”
“Okay, go ahead. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay, Big Brother.”
After the boy started writing books, he had many problems to solve every day. For instance, many people don’t realize that when playing games or watching videos, their mind becomes engrossed in the game or video. Even when rambling, the mind is active. Therefore, some masters confiscate mobile phones from children they are training and only allow them to play for specific periods. This is to help the children bring their minds back to the present moment, which also helps nourish their spirit.
The boy himself is busy writing books and other things, so he doesn’t have much time to manage these matters. Besides, teaching this is one thing, but whether people listen is another. Some people don’t understand and get angry easily, so the boy doesn’t bother with this. If someone can consciously read books, they will naturally pay attention to resting. If they can’t manage themselves consciously, it’s useless.
