05.03.02 – Tuesday
From Mo Tzu:
- ‘If there were a man who, on tasting a little bit of bitterness, called it bitter but, on tasting a lot, called it sweet, we would conclude that he could not distinguish between bitter and sweet’ (p. 51, §17).
- ‘This is simply to destroy what one does not have enough of for the sake of what one already has in excess!’ (p. 55, §19).
- ‘Such deeds were recorded on bamboo and silk, engraved on metal and stone, inscribed on bowls and basins, and handed down to posterity in generations after. Why was this done? It was done so that men would know how these rulers hated and injured others…’ (p. 91, §27).
I stopped in at the grocer’s to buy some milk and honey (that honey which I so lamentably forgot the other day). The clerks were friendly, the aisles were clear, and Marlene Dietrich singing ‘You do something to me’ played low in the background. Everything was caught in a blur of warm colors, and as I stepped outside I was greeted by blue skies, twittering birds, and budding leaves. So I put on my best smile, the one that causes the engines in the cars of little old ladies to die and never start again, added an extra slouch to my shoulders and shuffle to my step, and crept back to the safety of my apartment.