#9
Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.
(Translation by Stephen Mitchell)
I like it. Thanks for the well-chosen excerpt.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wise book. I just found it again on my shelf. It tends to disappear for years, then reappear right when I need it most. That's the one problem with this digital age. You're more likely to search for something you want rather than stumble upon something you need.
ReplyDeleteAgree -- it sounds silly, but rearranging a bookshelf can be a tremendously valuable activity.
ReplyDeleteThough as someone who recently moved across the country -- and had to pack and mail dozens of boxes of books -- I also find a lot to like in the digital age.
True. Throwing stuff away is always terribly therapeutic as well. Most of what own by weight (not including the house or car, and my dog is getting on the chunky side) are books, and most of them are in boxes in the garage because there's no room for them inside.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, I see many good things about digital as well. An interesting side note, there was a study out last year that said children of parents who have books in the home attain a higher level of education than those who don't. It'll be fascinating to see how e-books factor into that in future studies. Can't find the original stoudy, but here's a brief article:
http://esciencenews.com/sources/scientific.blogging/2010/05/20/owning.books.makes.your.children.smarter.study.finds
I remember reading about that study.
ReplyDeleteI think we'll start to see kid-targeted e-readers that come pre-loaded with books...