Letting go lives!

This Tuesday in Hong Kong a middle management of JP Morgan joined off the top of his office building in Central, during working hours. According to the news "A third JP Morgan employee has died under mysterious circumstances in a matter of few weeks". Discussions around town focused on condemning the pressure financial institutes are putting onto their employees, now even non front-line support staff like the latest suicide case. Everybody feels sad.

A friend of mine, a practicing clinical psychologist in Melbourne, reminded us our civic responsibility of taking care of psychologically disturbed persons especially those around us. On the spiritual side, this is what Lao Zi said in the first sentence of chapter 50 of Tao Te Ching:

Letting go lives
Holding on dies

(出生入死）

Like all philosophical wisdom (that are loads of them in self-help books and more floating around the internet), it is always the case: easier said than done. Some months ago, I was invited by a friend to check up a popular blog hosted by the head of a revived-folk-religion. He wrote on many subjects and attracted lots of discussions. He expressed himself in civilized manners - until some readers crossed him in their comments. Go away, I don't want you here! he would express himself in this angry manner. So much for wisdom and personal-decorum. Disclaimer: not towards your author.

My point is, wisdom is not philosophy. It is a skill that has to be learned (but I'm not sure it can be learned by all like learning how to ride a bicycle). And one had better learn it during periods with less turbulence. The ultimate testing ground for one's strength of character is when misfortune raises its ugly head. And then one truly understands the meaning of

Letting go lives
Holding on dies

And perhaps adversity can be a blessing in disguise. Many enlightened Taoists in the past got their enlightenment after experiencing grave adversities. And didn't Jesus say  it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven ?
 

The impressive JP Morgan Building in Hong Kong