Confucius: The hour glass flow
Extract from Confucius’s ‘Great Learning’ essay quoted in Leading from Emerging Future, from ego system to eco system economies but Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer. I like the flow from state to person and back to state as a continual cycle that keeps mind and matter connected and refreshed. For me it has the image of an hour glass, state, to self to state, turn it over and start again continually refreshing self, other, self and other, self and earth. Scharmer and Kaufer refer to the need to move from ego centred to eco centred and perhaps it is an unending flow through. Anyway, here it is. ‘The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the world, first ordered well their own States. Wishing to order well their States, they first harmonized their families. Wishing to harmonise their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be...