TTC and Me: Three Precious Things

我有三宝，持而保之。一曰慈，二曰俭，三曰不敢为天下先。

慈，故能勇；俭，故能广；不敢为天下先，故能成器长（zhǎng）。

 

Translation: Three things are precious to me and I kept them. They are love,

frugality, and not daring to be the first. Love fills me with courage. I can

afford sharing with others because I myself am cheap to maintain. Not daring

to be the first allows me to grow.

                                                                               

My Understanding: I have never doubted the first two* but used to struggle with

the last one. From very young, we are thrown into the arena to compete and to

be selected and awarded. We want to be the first, in everything. Modern sports,

e.g., have their meets, races, tournaments, etc., where practitioners are pitched

against each other. Big events attract ads, sponsors, and spectators. Well-paid

winners become heroes.

 

What the Tao says here is that many a winner are distracted and lose their way.

We should be aware of the dark side of being number one and not attach too much

meaning to it so that we can focus on growth in our art. It's not about who are

the first but who have lasted**.

 

* Stoics proposed practicing poverty so as not to be surprised by fortune. One

  more reason for being frugal.

 

** I'm paraphrasing what I heard first in the jiu-jitsu community.

 

[The Chinese part was from https://www.daodejing.org/)

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thanks for reading and commenting.

> 不敢为天下先 is a result of 中庸之道
I doubt it as the Taoists traditionally despised the Confucians.

[暖冬cool夏]

It could be that 不敢为天下先 is a result of 中庸之道, not to pioneer so as not to mislead:))
Good interpretations and your thoughts!