Waxing Water Snake
There was once a Snake caught in a fire. A brave man saved the Snake by pulling it from the blaze, but in the process, the Snake bit the man and killed him with poison. Perhaps we could fault the Snake, but it's only natural for it to bite. Perhaps we could fault the brave man, but he only wanted to help.
As for the poetry of the moment, be careful! If you want to shine, then you have to get burnt. As they say, "You can't make an omlette without cracking a few eggs," but is the risk worth the reward? Sure, you get to save the day, but if you get hurt in the process, will it change your heart? God forbid you go in with good intentions and leave with resentment and remorse.
To make this make sense, keep out of "double trouble." When someone is drowning, all too often the rescuer ends up drowning too. In an instance like this, we need strategy - not strength. Our first responders need to be brave - not brazen. We can't afford to send our heroes out on kamikaze missions. Sometimes, we have to cut our losses and go forward without - lest we take an even larger loss in the long run.
⧠When Helping is Hazardous â§
Risk to Reward: Weigh your options.
What's on the Line: Is it even worth the loss?
Know your Nature: Fool me twice, shame on me.
Keep that Energy: Even if you miss the mark.
Be True to You: You're all you've got.
Selfish/Selfless
Contents
ã»Shifu Says: A brief word from our head teacher, Shifu David Wei.
ã»Summer Training: We've got a lot of ways to train. Give it a shot!
ã»The Daoist Calendar: Special holidays and how to observe them.
ã»Tai Chi True or False: You've got a 50/50 chance. Is it Yin or Yang.
ã»Deep Steeps: Shifu sits with Oakland Fire Captain, Atif Shakoor.
ã»Story Time, Story Time: A short samurai story from a Zen temple.
ã»Final Fortune Cookie: Big wit and wisdom from a tiny little idiom.
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