Today is the new moon of the first lunar month, which marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
It is also the first day of Zhēngyuè, a Taoist celebration of Lao-Tzu, and is the day of the rooster, in the year of the ox.
I was reminded of this extract from the Tao Te Ching, which still has power and relevance over 2000 years since it was written. Not least the last sentence!
I have three treasures,
Which I guard and keep.
The first is compassion,
The second is economy,
The third is humility.
From compassion comes courage.
From economy comes the means to be generous.
From humility comes responsible leadership.
Today men have discarded compassion
In order to be bold.
They have abandoned economy
in order to be big spenders.
They have rejected humility
In order to be first.
This is the road to death.
Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching, in Benjamin Hoff (1992) ‘The Te of Piglet’
Compassion, economy, humility – three qualities the world needs more than ever.
If this chimes with you, and you’d like a thinking partner for the year ahead, we can help. Get in touch.
Image of Musk Ox from Biodiversity Heritage Library.