Sunday 15 May 2011

Frying small fish for lunch

nationcrafting icon, small fish

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tze
compared governing a nation
to frying small fish for lunch.

Too much poking and lunch is ruined.


2 comments:

  1. Wonderful! So much is said with so few words.

    This saying can apply to so much more than governing a nation -- e.g. enjoying a marriage, leading a team, raising a child...

    Thank you, Alex.

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  2. Hi Emily,

    You're right! In fact, it's funny, I was just writing my next esssay, looking at the parallels between garden design and nation design, comparing Japanese gardens with their European contemporaries.

    All the examples you mention have that element in common with garden design: true masters only need a light touch, because they're working with the natural growth itself of the object they shape - the marriage, the team, the child - rather than forcing their own ego or dogmas on it.

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