The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another. But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty to the ear, or to the mind.
ZhuangziRead
People live their lives, constantly surrounded by anxiety. if they live long before dying, they end up in senility, worn out by concerns: a terrible fate! The body is treated in a very harsh fashion. Courageous men are seen by everyone under Heaven as worthy, but this doesn't preserve them from death. I am not sure I know whether this is sensible or not.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses the burdens of anxiety and the inevitability of death, questioning the sensibility of how life is lived.
Zhuangzi reflects on the human condition, highlighting how anxiety and concerns consume people's lives, ultimately leading to a weakening of spirit and body as they age. He points out the paradox of courage, noting that even the bravest individuals are not exempt from the fate of death, leaving him uncertain about the wisdom of societal expectations and the nature of existence.
Themes
AnxietyDeathCourageLifePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on existentialism, this quote can illustrate the burdens of modern life.
More from Zhuangzi
All quotes →Either in conflict with others or in harmony with them, we go through life like a runaway horse, unable to stop.
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The true man of the past waited upon Heaven when dealing with people and did not wait upon people when dealing with Heaven.
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The mind remains undetermined in the great Void. Here the highest knowledge is unbounded. That which gives things their thusness cannot be delimited by things. So when we speak of 'limits', we remain confined to limited things. The limit of the unlimited is called 'fullness.' The limitlessness of the limited is called 'emptiness.' Tao is the source of both. But it is itself neither fullness nor emptiness
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All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in Tao.
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