The Less You Care, The Happier You’ll Be
Taoist Wisdom For An Overly Serious World
A long time ago, Confucius and his students walked on a road to the kingdom of Wei. They stumbled upon a hermit at least a hundred years old. The man was gathering some grain that farmers had dropped, and he was singing while doing so.
One of the students, a young man named Tzu-Kung, was confused. He couldn’t comprehend why the old hermit was so happy, as he must have been very poor and alone, having to scour for harvest scraps.
Tzu-Kung walked over to the hermit and showed compassion for his sad fate.
But the old man smiled and said: “Why do you feel sorry for me? Am I that pathetic in your eyes?”
“Well, sir,” Tzu-Kung said, “I assumed you didn’t work hard in your younger years and didn’t care about success and status. And so, you couldn’t find a wife and have children to look after you. You’re all alone. How could you laugh and sing?”
“Listen, young man,” the hermit said, “I laugh and sing because I feel happy! If I had worked hard in my younger years, competing with others, I wouldn’t have gotten so old and healthy. And not having a wife and children? That’s great. I don’t have to worry about their lives either. It’s peaceful. Why shouldn’t I laugh and sing?”
