In
the society, people get use to learn things by distinguishing they are good or
bad. However, are the things that defined bad have noting good with it?
There is a famous
idiom in Chinese that says “a loss, no bad thing”, meaning a loss may turn out
to be a gain. The idiom is base on an ancient story that is about an old man
who lost a few horses. He does not feel unfortunate about it and the lost
horses actually led a group of horses back later. The story leads me to think
the boundary between the definitions of “good” and “bad”. They are all
uncertain in a way we could not predict what is going to happen after.
Therefore, when something bad occurs, we should not be too negative about it
because it may causes good things. And on the opposite, sometimes good things
can turn into bad things in a certain condition. This goes on without end, and
its depths cannot be measured.
According to the philosophy
of Taoism, the two halves yin and yang together complete wholeness. I believe
goodness and badness are just like yin and yang, they are balanced and their
duality forms a whole. Further more, the shady side and sunny side in our lives
is equal, what we can do is accept them bravely – smile at the unfortunate and appreciate
the good fortune in life. Whenever a good or bad thing occurs, it is good to
always be soberly and positive.
I like this take! It is so great to point out that one negative action does not necessarily mean a bad thing will occur. I also enjoy the fact that it tells us to keep everything in perspective and keep smiling through the rough times.
ReplyDeleteI love the view you took on this. I agree. Nothing is completely good or completely bad. I think that is very true. There can be things that are very good but can also have or lead to negative effects. And there is always a silver lining in the bad things too.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that everything has two sides, and to be good is actually to find the balance. Things are not always good, but they are not always bad either. Therefore, to be positive to the life that we have right now, is the best attitude of living.
ReplyDeleteI like how you approach the topic, it is really interesting that you say that we shouldn't be too negative when we are facing difficulties. There might be some chances that things going to turn out better. However, I think that this is really hard to think about it because when people are down, there is only a little chance that the person is going to stand up for themselves and try to overcome their situations. But just like you say good and bad is balanced, you just need to figure out by yourself.
ReplyDeleteI love how you incorporates the Taosim philosophy into your understanding of goodness. I think goodness may as well be an attitude to hold when facing odds. As long as we keep hope alive when confronting difficulties, and do not be overjoyed when something "good"(subjectively defined) happens, we can live a much more smooth life.
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