Question : Why Don't People Listen?
A guy at work went out and bought a second hand printer without consulting me. (I work in a school and I'm in charge of printers and stuff). Basically I looked at this printer and it was a mess. It was dirty and inside was full of toner. He paid £200 and these printers were only £300 new anyway.I advised him to buy a new one for £203 which was better than the one he got and we allready had some of them in the school, so I knew it was a good printer and I wouldn't have to faff about with ordering different toner cartridges.However he has come in today to tell me that he's struck a deal with the guy he bought the printer off. He's getting 2 printers and the dirty one is going to be cleaned.Why won't people listen? I'm sure my idea was better!! Argh!The printers aren't illegal... they are re-conditioned.... just not very well!
- asked by tera_the_giga_dragon_bytes
All Answers:
Answer #1 You Have Violated The Terms Of UseYour Profile Will Be Removed Within 48 Hrs - answered by Yahoo Answers Team
Answer #2 You will find the answer in the Tao te Ching of Lao TzuPart 11. The WayThe Way
that can be experienced is not true;The world that can be constructed is not
real.The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;The world represents all
that exists and may exist.To experience without abstraction is to sense the
world;To experience with abstraction is to know the world.These two experiences
are indistinguishable;Their construction differs but their effect is the
same.Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,Which is ever greater and more
subtle than the world.2. AbstractionWhen beauty is abstractedThen ugliness has
been implied;When good is abstractedThen evil has been implied.So alive and dead
are abstracted from nature,Difficult and easy abstracted from progress,Long and
short abstracted from contrast,High and low abstracted from depth,Song and
speech abstracted from melody,After and before abstracted from sequence.The sage
experiences without abstraction,And accomplishes without action;He accepts the
ebb and flow of things,Nurtures them, but does not own them,And lives, but does
not dwell.3. Without ActionNot praising the worthy prevents contention,Not
esteeming the valuable prevents theft,Not displaying the beautiful prevents
desire.In this manner the sage governs people:Emptying their minds,Filling their
bellies,Weakening their ambitions,And strengthening their bones.If people lack
knowledge and desireThen they can not act;If no action is takenHarmony
remains.4. LimitlessThe Way is a limitless vessel;Used by the self, it is not
filled by the world;It cannot be cut, knotted, dimmed or stilled;Its depths are
hidden, ubiquitous and eternal;I don't know where it comes from;It comes before
nature.5. NatureNature is not kind;It treats all things impartially.The Sage is
not kind,And treats all people impartially.Nature is like a bellows,Empty, yet
never ceasing its supply.The more it moves, the more it yields;So the sage draws
upon experienceAnd cannot be exhausted.6. ExperienceExperience is a riverbed,Its
source hidden, forever flowing:Its entrance, the root of the world,The Way moves
within it:Draw upon it; it will not run dry.7. CompleteNature is complete
because it does not serve itself.The sage places himself after and finds himself
before,Ignores his desire and finds himself content.He is complete because he
does not serve himself.8. WaterThe best of man is like water,Which benefits all
things, and does not contend with them,Which flows in places that others
disdain,Where it is in harmony with the Way.So the sage:Lives within
nature,Thinks within the deep,Gives within impartiality,Speaks within
trust,Governs within order,Crafts within ability,Acts within opportunity.He does
not contend, and none contend against him.9. RetireFill a cup to its brim and it
is easily spilled;Temper a sword to its hardest and it is easily broken;Amass
the greatest treasure and it is easily stolen;Claim credit and honour and you
easily fall;Retire once your purpose is achieved - this is natural.10.
HarmonyEmbracing the Way, you become embraced;Breathing gently, you become
newborn;Clearing your mind, you become clear;Nurturing your children, you become
impartial;Opening your heart, you become accepted;Accepting the world, you
embrace the Way.Bearing and nurturing,Creating but not owning,Giving without
demanding,This is harmony.11. ToolsThirty spokes meet at a nave;Because of the
hole we may use the wheel.Clay is moulded into a vessel;Because of the hollow we
may use the cup.Walls are built around a hearth;Because of the doors we may use
the house.Thus tools come from what exists,But use from what does not.12.
SubstanceToo much colour blinds the eye,Too much music deafens the ear,Too much
taste dulls the palate,Too much play maddens the mind,Too much desire tears the
heart.In this manner the sage cares for people:He provides for the belly, not
for the senses;He ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance.13. SelfBoth
praise and blame cause concern,For they bring people hope and fear.The object of
hope and fear is the self -For, without self, to whom may fortune and disaster
occur?Therefore,Who distinguishes himself from the world may be given the
world,But who regards himself as the world may accept the world.14.
MysteryLooked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;Listened to but cannot
be heard - it is beneath sound;Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath
feeling;These depthless things evade definition,And blend into a single
mystery.In its rising there is no light,In its falling there is no darkness,A
continuous thread beyond description,Lining what does not exist;Its form
formless,Its image nothing,Its name silence;Follow it, it has no back,Meet it,
it has no face.Attend the present to deal with the past;Thus you grasp the
continuity of the Way,Which is its essence.15. EnlightenmentThe enlightened
possess understandingSo profound they can not be understood.Because they cannot
be understoodI can only describe their appearance:Cautious as one crossing thin
ice,Undecided as one surrounded by danger,Modest as one who is a guest,Unbounded
as melting ice,Genuine as unshaped wood,Broad as a valley,Seamless as muddy
water.Who stills the water that the mud may settle,Who seeks to stop that he may
travel on,Who desires less than what may transpire,Decays, but will not
renew.16. Decay and RenewalEmpty the self completely;Embrace perfect peace.The
world will rise and move;Watch it return to rest.All the flourishing thingsWill
return to their source.This return is peaceful;It is the flow of nature,An
eternal decay and renewal.Accepting this brings enlightenment,Ignoring this
brings misery.Who accepts nature's flow becomes all-cherishing;Being
all-cherishing he becomes impartial;Being impartial he becomes magnanimous;Being
magnanimous he becomes natural;Being natural he becomes one with the Way;Being
one with the Way he becomes immortal:Though his body will decay, the Way will
not.17. RulersThe best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects;The next best
are loved and praised;The next are feared;The next despised:They have no faith
in their people,And their people become unfaithful to them.When the best rulers
achieve their purposeTheir subjects claim the achievement as their own.18.
HypocrisyWhen the Way is forgottenDuty and justice appear;Then knowledge and
wisdom are bornAlong with hypocrisy.When harmonious relationships dissolveThen
respect and devotion arise;When a nation falls to chaosThen loyalty and
patriotism are born.19. SimplifyIf we could discard knowledge and wisdomThen
people would profit a hundredfold;If we could discard duty and justiceThen
harmonious relationships would form;If we could discard artifice and profitThen
waste and theft would disappear.Yet such remedies treat only symptomsAnd so they
are inadequate.People need personal remedies:Reveal your naked self and embrace
your original nature;Bind your self-interest and control your ambition;Forget
your habits and simplify your affairs.20. WanderingWhat is the difference
between assent and denial?What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?What
is the difference between fearsome and afraid?The people are merry as if at a
magnificent partyOr playing in the park at springtime,But I am tranquil and
wandering,Like a newborn before it learns to smile,Alone, with no true home.The
people have enough and to spare,Where I have nothing,And my heart is
foolish,Muddled and cloudy.The people are bright and certain,Where I am dim and
confused;The people are clever and wise,Where I am dull and ignorant;Aimless as
a wave drifting over the sea,Attached to nothing.The people are busy with
purpose,Where I am impractical and rough;I do not share the peoples' caresBut I
am fed at nature's breast.21. AcceptHarmony is only in following the Way.The Way
is without form or quality,But expresses all forms and qualities;The Way is
hidden and implicate,But expresses all of nature;The Way is unchanging,But
expresses all motion.Beneath sensation and memoryThe Way is the source of all
the world.How can I understand the source of the world?By accepting.22.
HomeAccept and you become whole,Bend and you straighten,Empty and you fill,Decay
and you renew,Want and you acquire,Fulfill and you become confused.The sage
accepts the worldAs the world accepts the Way;He does not display himself, so is
clearly seen,Does not justify himself, so is recognized,Does not boast, so is
credited,Does not pride himself, so endures,Does not contend, so none contend
against him.The ancients said, "Accept and you become whole",Once whole, the
world is as your home.23. WordsNature says only a few words:High wind does not
last long,Nor does heavy rain.If nature's words do not lastWhy should those of
man?Who accepts harmony, becomes harmonious.Who accepts loss, becomes lost.For
who accepts harmony, the Way harmonizes with him,And who accepts loss, the Way
cannot find.24. IndulgenceStraighten yourself and you will not stand
steady;Display yourself and you will not be clearly seen;Justify yourself and
you will not be respected;Promote yourself and you will not be believed;Pride
yourself and you will not endure.These behaviours are wasteful, indulgent,And so
they attract disfavour;Harmony avoids them.25. Beneath AbstractionThere is a
mystery,Beneath abstraction,Silent, depthless,Alone, unchanging,Ubiquitous and
liquid,The mother of nature.It has no name, but I call it "the Way";It has no
limit, but I call it "limitless".Being limitless, it flows away forever;Flowing
away forever, it returns to my self:The Way is limitless,So nature is
limitless,So the world is limitless,And so I am limitless.For I am abstracted
from the world,The world from nature,Nature from the Way,And the Way from what
is beneath abstraction.26. CalmGravity is the source of lightness,Calm, the
master of haste.A lone traveller will journey all day, watching over his
belongings;Only safe in his own bed may he lose them in sleep.So the captain of
a great vessel should not act lightly or hastily.Acting lightly, he loses sight
of the world,Acting hastily, he loses control of himself.The captain can not
treat his great ship as a small boat;Rather than glitter like jadeHe must stand
like stone.27. PerfectionThe perfect traveller leaves no trail to be
followed;The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered;The perfect
accountant leaves no working to be completed;The perfect container leaves no
lock to be closed;The perfect knot leaves no end to be ravelled.So the sage
nurtures all menAnd abandons no one.He accepts everythingAnd rejects nothing.He
attends to the smallest details.For the strong must guide the weak;The weak are
raw material to the strong.If the guide is not respected,Or the material is not
cared for,Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.This is the secret
of perfection:When raw wood is carved, it becomes a tool;When a man is employed,
he becomes a tool;The perfect carpenter leaves no wood to be carved.28.
BecomingUsing the male, being female,Being the entrance of the world,You embrace
harmonyAnd become as a newborn.Using strength, being weak,Being the root of the
world,You complete harmonyAnd become as unshaped wood.Using the light, being
dark,Being the world,You perfect harmonyAnd return to the Way.29. AmbitionThose
who wish to change the worldAccording with their desireCannot succeed.The world
is shaped by the Way;It cannot be shaped by the self.Trying to change it, you
damage it;Trying to possess it, you lose it.So some will lead, while others
follow.Some will be warm, others coldSome will be strong, others weak.Some will
get where they are goingWhile others fall by the side of the road.So the sage
will be neither extravagant nor violent.30. ViolencePowerful men are well
advised not to use violence,For violence has a habit of returning;Thorns and
weeds grow wherever an army goes,And lean years follow a great war.A general is
well advisedTo achieve nothing more than his orders:Not to take advantage of his
victory.Nor to glory, boast or pride himself;To do what is dictated by
necessity,Not by choice.For even the strongest force will weaken with time,And
then its violence will return, and kill it.31. ArmiesArmies are tools of
violence;They cause men to hate and fear.The sage will not join them.His purpose
is creation;Their purpose is destruction.Weapons are tools of violence,Not of
the sage;He uses them only when there is no choice,And then calmly, and with
tact,For he finds no beauty in them.Whoever finds beauty in weaponsDelights in
the slaughter of men;And who delights in slaughterCannot content himself with
peace.So slaughters must be mournedAnd conquest celebrated with a funeral.32.
ShapesThe Way has no true shape,And therefore none can control it.If a ruler
could control the WayAll things would followIn harmony with his desire,And sweet
rain would fall,Effortlessly slaking every thirst.The Way is shaped by use,But
then the shape is lost.Do not hold fast to shapesBut let sensation flow into the
worldAs a river courses down to the sea.33. VirtuesWho understands the world is
learned;Who understands the self is enlightened.Who conquers the world has
strength;Who conquers the self has harmony;Who is determined has purpose.Who is
contented has wealth;Who defends his home may long endure;Who surrenders his
home may long survive it.34. ControlThe Way flows and ebbs, creating and
destroying,Implementing all the world, attending to the tiniest details,Claiming
nothing in return.It nurtures all things,Though it does not control them;It has
no intention,So it seems inconsequential.It is the substance of all
things;Though it does not control them;It has no exception,So it seems
all-important.The sage would not control the world;He is in harmony with the
world.35. PeaceIf you offer music and foodStrangers may stop with you;But if you
accord with the WayAll the people of the world will keep youIn safety, health,
community, and peace.The Way lacks art and flavour;It can neither be seen nor
heard,But its benefit cannot be exhausted.36. OppositionTo reduce someone's
influence, first expand it;To reduce someone's force, first increase it;To
overthrow someone, first exalt them;To take from someone, first give to
them.This is the subtlety by which the weak overcome the strong:Fish should not
leave their depths,And swords should not leave their scabbards.37.
TranquillityThe Way takes no action, but leaves nothing undone.When you accept
thisThe world will flourish,In harmony with nature.Nature does not possess
desire;Without desire, the heart becomes quiet;In this manner the whole world is
made
tranquil.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------Part 238. RitualWell established hierarchies are not easily
uprooted;Closely held beliefs are not easily released;So ritual enthralls
generation after generation.Harmony does not care for harmony, and so is
naturally attained;But ritual is intent upon harmony, and so can not attain
it.Harmony neither acts nor reasons;Love acts, but without reason;Justice acts
to serve reason;But ritual acts to enforce reason.When the Way is lost, there
remains harmony;When harmony is lost, there remains love;When love is lost,
there remains justice;And when justice is lost, there remains ritual.Ritual is
the end of compassion and honesty,The beginning of confusion;Belief is a
colourful hope or fear,The beginning of folly.The sage goes by harmony, not by
hope;He dwells in the fruit, not the flower;He accepts substance, and ignores
abstraction.39. SupportIn mythical times all things were whole:All the sky was
clear,All the earth was stable,All the mountains were firm,All the riverbeds
were full,All of nature was fertile,And all the rulers were supported.But,
losing clarity, the sky tore;Losing stability, the earth split;Losing strength,
the mountains sank;Losing water, the riverbeds cracked;Losing fertility, nature
disappeared;And losing support, the rulers fell.Rulers depend upon their
subjects,The noble depend upon the humble;So rulers call themselves orphaned,
hungry and alone,To win the people's support.40. Motion and UseThe motion of the
Way is to return;The use of the Way is to accept;All things come from the
Way,And the Way comes from nothing.41. FollowingWhen the great man learns the
Way, he follows it with diligence;When the common man learns the Way, he follows
it on occasion;When the mean man learns the Way, he laughs out loud;Those who do
not laugh, do not learn at all.Therefore it is said:Who understands the Way
seems foolish;Who progresses on the Way seems to fail;Who follows the Way seems
to wander.For the finest harmony appears plain;The brightest truth appears
coloured;The richest character appears incomplete;The bravest heart appears
meek;The simplest nature appears inconstant.The square, perfected, has no
corner;Music, perfected, has no melody;Love, perfected, has no climax;Art,
perfected, has no meaning.The Way can be neither sensed nor known:It transmits
sensation and transcends knowledge.42. MindThe Way bears sensation,Sensation
bears memory,Sensation and memory bear abstraction,And abstraction bears all the
world;Each thing in the world bears feeling and doing,And, imbued with mind,
harmony with the Way.As others have taught, so do I teach,"Who loses harmony
opposes nature";This is the root of my teaching.43. OvercomingWater overcomes
the stone;Without substance it requires no opening;This is the benefit of taking
no action.Yet benefit without action,And experience without abstraction,Are
practiced by very few.44. ContentmentHealth or reputation: which is held
dearer?Health or possessions: which has more worth?Profit or loss: which is more
troublesome?Great love incurs great expense,And great wealth incurs great
fear,But contentment comes at no cost.For who knows when to stopDoes not
continue into danger,And so may long endure.45. QuietGreat perfection seems
incomplete,But does not decay;Great abundance seems empty,But does not
fail.Great truth seems contradictory;Great cleverness seems stupid;Great
eloquence seems awkward.As spring overcomes the cold,And autumn overcomes the
heat,So calm and quiet overcome the world.46. HorsesWhen a nation follows the
Way,Horses bear manure through its fields;When a nation ignores the Way,Horses
bear soldiers through its streets.There is no greater mistake than following
desire;There is no greater disaster than forgetting contentment;There is no
greater sickness than seeking attainment;But one who is content to satisfy his
needsFinds that contentment endures.47. KnowingWithout taking a step outdoorsYou
know the whole world;Without taking a peep out the windowYou know the colour of
the sky.The more you experience,The less you know.The sage wanders without
knowing,Looks without seeing,Accomplishes without acting.48. InactionThe
follower of knowledge learns as much as he can every day;The follower of the Way
forgets as much as he can every day.By attrition he reaches a state of
inactionWherein he does nothing, but nothing remains undone.To conquer the
world, accomplish nothing;If you must accomplish something,The world remains
beyond conquest.49. PeopleThe sage does not distinguish between himself and the
world;The needs of other people are as his own.He is good to those who are
good;He is also good to those who are not good,Thereby he is good.He trusts
those who are trustworthy;He also trusts those who are not trustworthy,Thereby
he is trustworthy.The sage lives in harmony with the world,And his mind is the
world's mind.So he nurtures the worlds of othersAs a mother does her
children.50. DeathMen flow into life, and ebb into death.Some are filled with
life;Some are empty with death;Some hold fast to life, and thereby perish,For
life is an abstraction.Those who are filled with lifeNeed not fear tigers and
rhinos in the wilds,Nor wear armour and shields in battle;The rhinoceros finds
no place in them for its horn,The tiger no place for its claw,The soldier no
place for a weapon,For death finds no place in them.51. NurtureThe Way bears all
things;Harmony nurtures them;Nature shapes them;Use completes them.Each follows
the Way and honours harmony,Not by law,But by being.The Way bears, nurtures,
shapes, completes,Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.Bearing without
possessing,Nurturing without taming,Shaping without forcing,This is harmony.52.
ClarityThe origin of the world is its mother;Understand the mother, and you
understand the child;Embrace the child, and you embrace the mother,Who will not
perish when you die.Reserve your judgments and wordsAnd you maintain your
influence;Speak your mind and take positionsAnd nothing will save you.As
observing detail is clarity,So maintaining flexibility is strength;Use the light
but shed no light,So that you do yourself no harm,But embrace clarity.53.
Difficult PathsWith but a small understandingOne may follow the Way like a main
road,Fearing only to leave it;Following a main road is easy,Yet people delight
in difficult paths.When palaces are kept upFields are left to weedsAnd granaries
empty;Wearing fine clothes,Bearing sharp swords,Glutting with food and
drink,Hoarding wealth and possessions -These are the ways of theft,And far from
the Way.54. Cultivate HarmonyCultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony
becomes real;Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes
fertile;Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes
abundant;Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes
enduring;Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.Live
with a person to understand that person;Live with a family to understand that
family;Live with a community to understand that community;Live with a culture to
understand that culture;Live with the world to understand the world.How can I
live with the world?By accepting.55. Soft BonesWho is filled with harmony is
like a newborn.Wasps and snakes will not bite him;Hawks and tigers will not claw
him.His bones are soft yet his grasp is sure,For his flesh is supple;His mind is
innocent yet his body is virile,For his vigour is plentiful;His song is
long-lasting yet his voice is sweet,For his grace is perfect.But knowing harmony
creates abstraction,And following abstraction creates ritual.Exceeding nature
creates calamity,And controlling nature creates violence.56. ImpartialityWho
understands does not preach;Who preaches does not understand.Reserve your
judgments and words;Smooth differences and forgive disagreements;Dull your wit
and simplify your purpose;Accept the world.Then,Friendship and enmity,Profit and
loss,Honour and disgrace,Will not affect you;The world will accept you.57.
Conquer with InactionDo not control the people with laws,Nor violence nor
espionage,But conquer them with inaction.For:The more morals and taboos there
are,The more cruelty afflicts people;The more guns and knives there are,The more
factions divide people;The more arts and skills there are,The more change
obsoletes people;The more laws and taxes there are,The more theft corrupts
people.Yet take no action, and the people nurture eachother;Make no laws, and
the people deal fairly with eachother;Own no interest, and the people cooperate
with eachother;Express no desire, and the people harmonize with eachother.58. No
EndWhen government is lazy and informalThe people are kind and honest;When
government is efficient and severeThe people are discontented and deceitful.Good
fortune follows upon disaster;Disaster lurks within good fortune;Who can say how
things will end?Perhaps there is no end.Honesty is ever deceived;Kindness is
ever seduced;Men have been like this for a long time.So the sage is firm but not
cutting,Pointed but not piercing,Straight but not rigid,Bright but not
blinding.59. RestraintManage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish.To
govern men in accord with natureIt is best to be restrained;Restraint makes
agreement easy to attain,And easy agreement builds harmonious relationships;With
sufficient harmony no resistance will arise;When no resistance arises, then you
possess the heart of the nation,And when you possess the nation's heart, your
influence will long endure:Deeply rooted and firmly established.This is the
method of far sight and long life.60. DemonsWhen you use the Way to conquer the
world,Your demons will lose their power to harm.It is not that they lose their
power as such,But that they will not harm others;Because they will not harm
others,You will not harm others:When neither you nor your demons can do harm,You
will be at peace with them.61. SubmissionA nation is like a hierarchy, a
marketplace, and a maiden.A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his
advances;Submission is a means of union.So when a large country submits to a
small countryIt will adopt the small country;When a small country submits to a
large countryIt will be adopted by the large country;The one submits and
adopts;The other submits and is adopted.It is in the interest of a large country
to unite and gain service,And in the interest of a small country to unite and
gain patronage;If both would serve their interests,Both must submit.62. SinThe
Way is the fate of men,The treasure of the saint,And the refuge of the
sinner.Fine words are often borrowed,And great deeds are often
appropriated;Therefore, when a man falls, do not abandon him,And when a man
gains power, do not honour him;Only remain impartial and show him the Way.Why
should someone appreciate the Way?The ancients said, "By it, those who seek may
easily find,And those who regret may easily absolve"So it is the most precious
gift.63. DifficultyPractice no-action;Attend to do-nothing;Taste the
flavorless,Magnify the small,Multiply the few,Return love for hate.Deal with the
difficult while it is yet easy;Deal with the great while it is yet small;The
difficult develops naturally from the easy,And the great from the small;So the
sage, by dealing with the small,Achieves the great.Who finds it easy to promise
finds it hard to be trusted;Who takes things lightly finds things difficult;The
sage recognizes difficulty, and so has none.64a. Care at the BeginningWhat lies
still is easy to grasp;What lies far off is easy to anticipate;What is brittle
is easy to shatter;What is small is easy to disperse.Yet a tree broader than a
man can embrace is born of a tiny shoot;A dam greater than a river can overflow
starts with a clod of earth;A journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot
under one's feet.Therefore deal with things before they happen;Create order
before there is confusion.64b. Care at the EndHe who acts, spoils;He who grasps,
loses.People often fail on the verge of success;Take care at the end as at the
beginning,So that you may avoid failure.The sage desires no-desire,Values
no-value,Learns no-learning,And returns to the places that people have
forgotten;He would help all people to become natural,But then he would not be
natural.65. SubtletyThe ancients did not seek to rule people with knowledge,But
to help them become natural.It is difficult for knowledgeable people to become
natural.To use law to control a nation weakens the nation.But to use nature to
control a nation strengthens the nation.Understanding these two paths is
understanding subtlety;Subtlety runs deep, ranges wide,Resolves confusion and
preserves peace.66. Lead by FollowingThe river carves out the valley by flowing
beneath it.Thereby the river is the master of the valley.In order to master
peopleOne must speak as their servant;In order to lead peopleOne must follow
them.So when the sage rises above the people,They do not feel oppressed;And when
the sage stands before the people,They do not feel hindered.So the popularity of
the sage does not fail,He does not contend, and no one contends against him.67.
UnimportanceAll the world says,"I am important;I am separate from all the
world.I am important because I am separate,Were I the same, I could never be
important."Yet here are three treasuresThat I cherish and commend to you:The
first is compassion,By which one finds courage.The second is restraint,By which
one finds strength.And the third is unimportance,By which one finds
influence.Those who are fearless, but without compassion,Powerful, but without
restraint,Or influential, yet important,Cannot endure.68. CompassionCompassion
is the finest weapon and best defence.If you would establish harmony,Compassion
must surround you like a fortress.Therefore,A good soldier does not inspire
fear;A good fighter does not display aggression;A good conqueror does not engage
in battle;A good leader does not exercise authority.This is the value of
unimportance;This is how to win the cooperation of others;This to how to build
the same harmony that is in nature.69. AmbushThere is a saying among soldiers:It
is easier to lose a yard than take an inch.In this manner one may deploy troops
without marshalling them,Bring weapons to bear without exposing them,Engage the
foe without invading them,And exhaust their strength without fighting them.There
is no worse disaster than misunderstanding your enemy;To do so endangers all of
my treasures;So when two well matched forces oppose eachother,The general who
maintains compassion will win.70. IndividualityMy words are easy to
understandAnd my actions are easy to performYet no other can understand or
perform them.My words have meaning; my actions have reason;Yet these cannot be
known and I cannot be known.We are each unique, and therefore valuable;Though
the sage wears coarse clothes, his heart is jade.71. LimitationWho recognizes
his limitations is healthy;Who ignores his limitations is sick.The sage
recognizes this sickness as a limitation.And so becomes immune.72.
RevolutionWhen people have nothing more to lose,Then revolution will result.Do
not take away their lands,And do not destroy their livelihoods;If your burden is
not heavy then they will not shirk it.The sage maintains himself but exacts no
tribute,Values himself but requires no honours;He ignores abstraction and
accepts substance.73. FateWho is brave and bold will perish;Who is brave and
subtle will benefit.The subtle profit where the bold perishFor Fate does not
honour daring.And even the sage dares not tempt fate.Fate does not attack, yet
all things are conquered by it;It does not ask, yet all things answer to it;It
does not call, yet all things meet it;It does not plan, yet all things are
determined by it.Fate's net is vast and its mesh is coarse,Yet none escape
it.74. ExecutionIf people were not afraid of death,Then what would be the use of
an executioner?If people were only afraid of death,And you executed everyone who
did not obey,No one would dare to disobey you.Then what would be the use of an
executioner?People fear death because death is an instrument of fate.When people
are killed by execution rather than by fate,This is like carving wood in the
place of a carpenter.Those who carve wood in place of a carpenterOften injure
their hands.75. RebellionWhen rulers take grain so that they may feast,Their
people become hungry;When rulers take action to serve their own interests,Their
people become rebellious;When rulers take lives so that their own lives are
maintained,Their people no longer fear death.When people act without regard for
their own livesThey overcome those who value only their own lives.76.
FlexibilityA newborn is soft and tender,A crone, hard and stiff.Plants and
animals, in life, are supple and succulent;In death, withered and dry.So
softness and tenderness are attributes of life,And hardness and stiffness,
attributes of death.Just as a sapless tree will split and decaySo an inflexible
force will meet defeat;The hard and mighty lie beneath the groundWhile the
tender and weak dance on the breeze above.77. NeedIs the action of nature not
unlike drawing a bow?What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised
up;What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;Nature's motion
decreases those who have more than they needAnd increases those who need more
than they have.It is not so with Man.Man decreases those who need more than they
haveAnd increases those who have more than they need.To give away what you do
not need is to follow the Way.So the sage gives without expectation,Accomplishes
without claiming credit,And has no desire for ostentation.78. YieldingNothing in
the world is as soft and yielding as water,Yet nothing can better overcome the
hard and strong,For they can neither control nor do away with it.The soft
overcomes the hard,The yielding overcomes the strong;Every person knows this,But
no one can practice it.Who attends to the people would control the land and
grain;Who attends to the state would control the whole world;Truth is easily
hidden by rhetoric.79. ReconciliationWhen conflict is reconciled, some hard
feelings remain;This is dangerous.The sage accepts less than is dueAnd does not
blame or punish;For harmony seeks agreementWhere justice seeks payment.The
ancients said: "nature is impartial;Therefore it serves those who serve all."80.
UtopiaLet your community be small, with only a few people;Keep tools in
abundance, but do not depend upon them;Appreciate your life and be content with
your home;Sail boats and ride horses, but don't go too far;Keep weapons and
armour, but do not employ them;Let everyone read and write,Eat well and make
beautiful things.Live peacefully and delight in your own society;Dwell within
cock-crow of your neighbours,But maintain your independence from them.81. The
SageHonest people use no rhetoric;Rhetoric is not honesty.Enlightened people are
not cultured;Culture is not enlightenment.Content people are not wealthy;Wealth
is not contentment.So the sage does not serve himself;The more he does for
others, the more he is satisfied;The more he gives, the more he receives.Nature
flourishes at the expense of no one;So the sage benefits all men and contends
with none. - answered by Barks-at-Parrots
Answer #3 Don't get yourself twisted around the lampost. There are people who are all of
different characters in this world, and if you get rattled by every single one
that disagrees with your judgement or method, then at the end of the day, its
you who will bear the brunt of stress. - answered by Alex A
Answer #4 Go and poke him in the eye next time, im sure he will listen then! hope your day
gets better hun x - answered by uk_girlie
Answer #5 Hmm? Did you say something? - answered by Mr.Wolf
Answer #6 people are always like that they never listen if you needc more help contact me
on ashliegrifthais16@yahoo.com - answered by babeforever
Answer #7 Some people think they're better than everybody else. What you can do now is
report his stupid mistakes to authority (like your boss). But then, if nobody
sides with you, there's nothing you can do, is there? Lay low for now.
Sometimes, it's better to stand aside and let someone else's mistake bite him in
the back. - answered by kiore
Answer #8 If your in charge, give the guy a warning & send him back to terminate his deal
or report him to someone in authority at your work - answered by Mike
Answer #9 What? sorry i wasn't listening. - answered by Dazman
Answer #10 Dont be worrying about just forget if that person buy the printer from u if any
problem happen in future he /she simply blame u given an old printer always
murming about thatLeave that and be freeafter few days he/she will come to u and
complain about the printerthis will really happen - answered by james b
Answer #11 Sounds like your plan was better this time, and you are supposed to be in
charge. Next time don't let any equipment purchase take place w/o the signature
of the responsible party on a purchase order. This guy may have bought that
crap off a buddy. Did he get a receipt? - answered by Peter O
Answer #12 Because they don't know how to use any of their senses. - answered by John P
Answer #13 put your foot down, tell him you dont want them, and that you are going by
yourself to buy some new ones, chances are his were bought illegally anyway, so
if he gets stroppy tell him you want the reciepts and if he cant provide them,
then you will go to the police, if its school stuff he really should know better - answered by racheybaby
Answer #14 Read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" - it says it all - answered by Sameea
Answer #15 a person has ear to use in listening to sounds exept those who are deaf.so
person could listen if he/she likes. - answered by gameboy christian
Answer #16 Don't you just love those type of people?The "I'm going to show the boss I have
initiative maybe I'll get a raise" guy.Every office has one, however you're a
better person for looking ahead. And his clumsiness, however good his intentions
were, justifies your sharp mind.Just don't tell him that because then you'll be
referred as "the know-it-all" - answered by jamestheloser
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