“The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable.” -Confucius
I’ve been reading some Confucius, amongst other ancient Chinese texts on this mountain retreat and it’s been good for the mind. Checking in from this remote location via my phone just to share a little wisdom from long ago. I’ve been pondering my life path and the many decisions and mistakes I’ve made in life. It’s incredibly humbling. Recently I shoved a guy out of my way because he took an extremely long time at the bar signing for his tab. Granted, I was drunk, and I think he was literally doodling on the slip of paper and taking way too much time. And also, the word shoved may be a bit strong. Let’s say I gently, but firmly guided him out of my fucking way. He said, “Really?” to me. I completely ignored him, not even taking him as any serious kind of challenge. Later, when sober, this scene disturbed me. Am I that impatient? Am I going to just shove someone around because I can? To my credit, I’m not a belligerent asshole every time I get drunk, in fact, I’m quite peaceful and patient in general, unless the situation calls for something else. But this scene got me to thinking. It’s interesting to step back and take an honest look at oneself.
As an aside, Confucius also said that, “to be a woman means to submit.” The guy can’t be that bad.
