A learned man
By R. Valencia, S. Bismark
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:17:00 06/12/2009
WHAT kind of friends should we keep? Some good advice from two ancient Chinese stories:
Fu Yuan was a learned man who was given the responsibility of educating the crown prince of the land. He was worried about the bad company his ward kept when he learned that the prince’s playmates were influencing him to indulge in gambling and cheating.
Taking his responsibility to heart, Fu told his student, “To be a good person, you must be in the company of upright people. Anything that comes into contact with vermillion will be stained red; anything that touches ink will be dyed black. Be strict with yourself and be on your best behavior. Only then would people of good moral character be willing to be associated with you.†The emperor heard about the lesson imparted by the teacher and ordered that his wise words be inscribed onto a silk screen and displayed in the room of the crown prince.
Lesson learned: “One’s morals are influenced by the company he keeps.â€
Recommendations
During the wars of the provinces in China, Chunyu Kun was a high-ranking official respected for his leadership. One day, he said to his staff, “I need able men to fight in the war. Give me recommendations.â€
After less than 24 hours, one person approached him and said, “I have seven brave men to recommend.†Chunyu was surprised and said, “You’ve already found seven men in just one day? How is that possible?â€
The person replied, “Birds of the same feather flock together, as do wild beasts. Being brave myself, I associate with such men every day. So, it wasn’t hard to find them.†With that practical answer, Chunyu was satisfied.
Lesson learned: “Things of one kind often come together—as do people of the same type.â€
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