defy or embrace?
2024 – defy or embrace? When I say that I welcome the New Year in an optimistic Daoistic mood, it may sound surprising given the world situation. But before I spread my nonsense about it, I would like to wish Everyone a Happy New Year! Above all, health, happiness, confidence, and the necessary small change for it.
And I would like to take this opportunity to thank my readers. Not only because you took the time to read my writing, which was perhaps challenging and confusing at times, but also because of your kindness in commenting on it. For me, the blog is one of the few exchange windows into the world that I still enjoy.
This was the most important part for today, the rest of this article is for hardcore fans.
Outlook for 2024
“Predictions are difficult to make, especially when they concern the future.” [1]
And yet I dare to make a positive forecast. Where does the optimism come from?
Look: In the more than 20 years that the Internet has existed, I have made the following observations based on spam emails:
If someone writes to me, “Hooray, you won $50,000 in the lottery” or “I am the widow so-and-so. I would like to transfer you $100,000.” That’s a firm sign that the global economy is in bad shape. But if they suddenly add 2-3 zeros, it’s an unmistakable sign that things are looking up again. And that’s where we are now. With the many large sums in my account (ok. email account only) I just have to be optimistic.😊
2 Daoist Quotes
Since I have used the word Daoist, I would like to quote 2 Daoists who not many know. I found the quotes in a book that a dear friend gave me for Christmas.
One sentence is from from the Xiao Jing 孝經 [3] volume 9
“The Book of Shi Jing says: If one lives trembling and in fear, it is like standing on the edge of a deep abyss or walking on thin ice.”
The second one is by Wen Zi 文子 [4], a student of Laozi, who more than 2000 years ago wrote a few sentences that remind me very much of here and now:
“A ruler who plunges his country into chaos and focuses his attention on expanding his territory rather than on teaching his people humanity and justice strives for power only and does not care about his own moral perfection. Such behavior abandons the prerequisites for the survival of a state and causes the downfall of the ruling family“. (Wen Zi, book 35)
extra
Our (Vienna) Christmas concert is known all over the world and many people watch it on television. But hardly anyone knows this man, who has been singing for decades in my former neighborhood. I trust that everyone knows that I don’t want to make fun of him, but rather see him as an enrichment in the non-conformist cultural scene. When he’s gone, Vienna will be one facet poorer. He always reminds me of Schubert’s Leiermann (youtube-link) and so he sang a Schubert song for me.
All the best again for 2024. Rock and roll and don’t let it get you down.
footnotes
[1] Quote by Karl Valentin (1182-1948) Bavarian Comedian
[2] Principles of governance in ancient writings. Desina 2019. Translation of the Association of Master Ching Kung’ Friends at UNESCO
[3] Xiaojing 孝經, the Book on Filial Piety, is a Confucian text focusing on social relationships, especially that between father and son.
[4] The Wenzi (Chinese: 文子, lit. ‘[Book of] Master Wen’) is a Daoist classic allegedly written by a disciple of Laozi. The text was widely read and highly revered in the centuries following its creation, and even canonized as Tongxuan zhenjing (Chinese: 通玄真經).
Find blog posts on these and similar topics at https://zettl.blog/journals/. Some of the artwork is available at artmajeur, and some at saatchi gallery
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