Just before the session, practice materials went out on two workbenches.One participant eagerly picked up a tool.“Can I try it now?”Jian pointed to the clamp. “Wait. First, make sure the piece is clamped securely.”Another participant read the checklist over and over.“Can I try it now, too?”Jian nodded. “You’re ready. Start with a small piece.”A third participant watched them both and hesitated a moment.“They asked the same thing. Why did you give them different answers?”Jian looked across both workbenches. “One person needed to stop and check. The other was ready to start.”The first participant checked the clamp, then got to work.The second held up the first piece they had finished.
Zilu and Ran You each ask whether they should act as soon as they hear a teaching. Confucius reminds Zilu that he has a father and elder brothers, and tells Ran You to act right away. When Gongxi Hua asks why, Confucius explains that Ran You tends to hold back and needs encouragement, while Zilu tends to rush ahead and needs restraint.
Modern adaptation
In the workshop, Jian asks a participant who is rushing to check the clamp. She encourages a participant who has finished the checks but still hesitates to start with a small piece.
Takeaway
The same question can call for different advice depending on what each person needs to do next.
Today’s question
What do you need to hear right now? “Check one more time” or “Go ahead and start”?
