Parable of the woodcarver and the importance of generosity
Weekly Ink #3
A new weekly newsletter with findings, practical wisdom, and interesting conversations from across the web, curated by yours truly.
Insights
Curated stories and ideas that shape our world and expand our understanding.
Why young men and women are drifting apart: There has been a failure to create a modern narrative of what it means to be a man, and it has led to, and will continue to lead to, more social challenges. A glance at history suggests that young, under-educated, and under-employed men with few prospects are dangerous to a stable society and ripe for radicalization. We have to create a narrative of what the role and values should be of a “modern” Western man that tells a more compelling story than the Donald Trump and Andrew Tates of the world, both of whom, in my view, currently dominate the narrative of masculinity among this demographic. That’s a problem.
Joe Biden’s Last Campaign: a fascinating, long, and insightful read that pulls back the curtain on Biden, the campaign for 2024, and his advisors in a way you will not get to see on cable news. Evan Osnos gets some pretty good access and writes a killer profile.
AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we’ve got to see if they work. Techno-optimism, let's go ~! The future isn’t bleak; we will do some incredible things.
Contemplations
Meditations, philosophy, and the occasional restless thought.
The Woodcarver
Khing, the master carver, made a bell stand of precious wood. When it was finished, all who saw it were astounded. They said it must be the work of spirits. The Prince of Lu said to the master carver:
"What is your secret?"
Khing replied: "I am but a workman: I have no secret. There is only this: When I began to think about the work you commanded I might do, I guarded my spirit and did not expend it on trifles that were not to the point. I fasted to set my heart at rest. After three days of fasting, I had forgotten gain and success. After five days, I had forgotten praise or criticism. After seven days, I had forgotten my body with all its limbs.
"By this time, all thought of Your Highness and the court had faded away. All that might distract me from the work had vanished. I was collected in the single thought of the bell stand.
"Then I went to the forest to see the trees in their natural state. When the right tree appeared before my eyes, the bell stand also appeared in it, clearly, beyond doubt. All I had to do was to put forth my hand and begin.
"If I had not met this particular tree, there would have been no bell stand.
"What happened? My own collected thought encountered the hidden potential in the wood; from this live encounter came the work which you ascribe to the spirits."
I’ve been puzzling over this Taoist parable since I found it and wanted to share it. I'm not sure what it means (yet), but it’s stuck with me. It seems to suggest that when one is in a good flow of life, what the stoics would call “living in accordance with nature,” things become effortless. Hmm. 🤔
I'm going to have to think and read more.
What do you think it means?
Dialogue
Voices, perspectives, and conversations from our community and across the web.
This is a delightful conversation about why we should all strive to be more generous. It is well worth a listen in its entirety: The Science of Generosity: Why It Makes You Happier and How To Do It Effectively.
What did you think of this week’s newsletter? What characteristics does the ‘modern man’ have in your view? Hit that reply button and let me know! ✍️