38 睽 Opposition
Judgement
Everyone looks in a different direction: there is disagreement, and this is not a good time for big undertakings. Even so, in small matters the result is still good. Keep to what you can settle without needing everyone to agree. Opposition also shows what each person truly wants. Ask yourself which small matters you can fix today without waiting for everyone to agree.
Image
Fire above and a lake below: fire rises and water sinks, and they never meet. The wise person, even where there is general agreement, allows for diversity. They do not expect everyone to think alike; they leave room for each to keep their own way. Difference is not a threat. Ask yourself where you demand uniformity from those with you, and what you would gain by letting each see things their own way.
Lines
Line 1
Reasons for regret fade. You have lost your horses, but do not chase them: they may come back on their own. And if you meet unsavory people, you are unlikely to go wrong by dealing with them. This is the calm of someone who does not chase what has gone. Ask yourself what you are trying to recover by force.
Line 2
You meet your lord in an alley, by chance, and you are unlikely to go wrong. When everything is disordered, formal meetings are hard. A quiet meeting outside protocol may settle more. You need no ceremony to talk to someone who matters. Ask yourself whom you could talk to without waiting for an official moment.
Line 3
Your cart is dragged back, your oxen are pushed back, your head is shaved and your nose cut: you are held back and humiliated. The start is bad, but the end may be favorable. In the middle of opposition, what counts is resisting without losing your course. Ask yourself whether you endure what humiliates you without ceasing to advance.
Line 4
You are alone in the middle of the split, but you find someone good and the two of you open up sincerely. The situation is dangerous, and you are unlikely to go wrong. In a divided setting, one sincere bond may be enough. Ask yourself who your trusted person is amid so much disagreement, and whether you have told them.
Line 5
Reasons for regret fade. You join your close ally like biting soft skin: effortlessly. If you go forward with that help, what mistake could there be? A close relationship without barriers lets you act more securely. Ask yourself who is so close that you can tell them what you think, and what you could take on together.
Line 6
You are alone in the middle of the split. You see a muddy pig, or a cart full of ghosts, and draw your bow. Then you lower it: it was no enemy, but someone close. As you go on, a relieving rain falls, and that is a good sign. Ask yourself whom you have taken for an enemy without checking.
Reflection
- What are you trying to recover by force that may come back by itself?
- Where do you demand that others think like you?
- Whom have you taken for an enemy without fully checking?