4 蒙 Youthful Folly
Judgement
You face someone who does not know, or you are the one who does not know yet. Learning is not chased here: the teacher does not go looking for the inexperienced young person, the young person comes. And when they come sincerely, they deserve a clear answer. Asking the same thing again and again without listening only tires the teacher and you learn nothing. Be firm and orderly in what you learn. Ask yourself whether you truly want to understand or only want to hear what you already think.
Image
A spring wells up at the foot of a mountain: the water comes out clean, but it does not yet know where to go. That is the young mind, or yours when facing something new. The image asks two things of you. Be resolute in your conduct, so the water does not stop at the first stone. And look after your character, as you protect a spring to keep it clear. What you learn matters, but how you become while learning matters more.
Lines
Line 1
There is ignorance to clear away, and sometimes a certain severity is needed to break the shackles of the mind. But staying on that road of punishment leads to regret. If you correct someone, or yourself, do just enough to loosen the chain and nothing more. Harshness opens the door; it is not the way to teach.
Line 2
You are patient with someone who does not know, and that is a virtue. You welcome even what others despise, not from weakness but from breadth. This is the figure of someone who holds the household together and knows how to listen. Ask yourself whom you put up with generously and whom you have stopped listening to out of pride.
Line 3
Beware of joining someone who changes loyalty the moment they see a person with more money or power. Such a person does not keep hold of themselves, and nothing good comes of that bond. Look at whom you ally with. A relationship that depends on what you give, and not on who you are, breaks soon.
Line 4
You are bound by chains of ignorance: you do not see, and you do not want to be told. This situation tends to bring regret. If you recognize yourself, the first step is to admit there is something you do not know. You do not need to know everything; it is enough to stop defending what you do not understand.
Line 5
You are like a simple child without experience, who does not pretend to know. And that, here, is a real advantage. Someone who learns with an open mind goes further than someone who arrives full of certainties. Keep that simplicity and ask what you truly want to know, even if it sounds naive.
Line 6
Someone strikes the one who does not know, and no good comes of hurting them. It is the temptation to teach with contempt, or to get angry at your own clumsiness. Protect the one who does not know. Ask yourself whether you are punishing someone, or yourself, for not knowing. Care is slower, but it teaches.
Reflection
- What have you been asking for a long time without really wanting to hear the answer?
- With whom are you being harder than necessary, yourself included?
- What could you learn today if you stopped defending what you think you already know?