The Gift

The hero comes down from the mountain,Radiant with the power.
Yet one tussle with a dusty old manquickly tumbles him into the dirt.
In olden times, young men and women who wanted to be extraordinary trained in the mountains with a famous master. Away from all the distractions of society, isolated in the cleanliness, they remained on a high peak and did not come down until they had attained great ability.Such people were heroes, the pinnacle of cultivation. However, in their subsequent wanderings in the world, such heroes would often come upon some oldster who could quickly best them. Whether in philosophical debate or physical skill, there was always some obscure wanderer who could outshine even the greatest of heroes. Why? Because the hero only had perfection, the strength of youth, and courage. The oldsters had the advantage of experience and wisdom.There will always be people in the world better than yourself. Learn to recognize those elders who are wiser than you, and respect them. Know that you yourself will not be great until you have lived a long time.To perfect oneself is difficult but not rare. To have perfect wisdom is rare indeed.
perfection365 Tao daily meditations
........................I recently spoke with somone who stated that I was described as being, "smart." This seemed to tumble through my mind and I chewed on it for several days. I am smart enough to know how "unsmart" I am. I guess this is what they call wisdom. I have come to know very well how much I lack in the way of smarts, talent, and many other things that make for the average American male these days. I am often surprised of the trade off that appears to have taken place somewhere along the way. There is a wisdom within that I have not cultivated, made or profess to own. It just is. And because of it, I'm different. I can travel in any social or religious circle. I can be up front or invisible. And yet....sometimes its difficult to make peace with this state of being. I am hoping that I will soon hear on the position that the company is creating because it will position me to embrace and lean on this gift and begin to flow within the Tao.