Someone of low status who becomes a neighbor of a man of power, even when he has cause to be very happy, cannot celebrate loudly, or if his sorrow is severe, his lamentation and weeping must be muted. His conduct is controlled by anxiety, for in any situation he is as fearful as a sparrow caught in a hawks nest. Poor people, living as neighbors to the rich, morning and evening are embarrassed by their poorly dressed appearance, even as they go into and leave the house, seeing their neighbors flattering condescension. The wife and children envy the neighbors servants, who look down on them with haughty expression, provoking bad feelings. They can never have peace of mind. If it is crowded in the neighborhood, and the next-door house catches fire, there is no escaping the spreading fire. If you live outside the city, where it is sparsely populated, it is difficult to go and come, and you have to worry about being attacked by thieves. People want power and authority, for if their family has none, others look down on them. But people who have property have many worries, too, just as the poor people who envy them do. Whenever you must rely upon others, so are not self-sufficient, then those others come to possess you. Even helping a stranger, if you are drawn to that person, infringes on your independence of spirit. On the one hand, it is difficult to maintain independence in following the standard social conventions, but, if you do not, you will seem absurd, will look like a lunatic. And wherever you live, whatever you do, in the short period of time of this life, you should seek peace of mind--but this seems impossible for human beings. ~Hojoki
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:07:36 +0000
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