An interesting Saturday Essay - The College of Chinese Wisdom - from the Wall Street Journal:
“Concrete, defined
plans for life are abstract because they are made for a self who is abstract: a
future self that you imagine based on a snapshot of yourself now. You are
confined to what is in the best interests of the person you happen to be right
now—not of the person you will become.
Mencius encourages
us to think of life not in terms of decisions but as a series of ruptures that
lead us from one thing to another. He would say to the students of today and
their anxious parents: Live with a constant awareness of the ever-changing
world and your ever-shifting self. Train your mind to stay open and constantly
take into account all the complex stuff that is you.”