Know Yourself by Jamie Hutchinson
(above: Jamie Hutchinson practising Tai Chi in China. Photo by Heather "BadPanda" Wu (Wu Hui Jun).
Look to yourself; you are a greater source of knowledge than you know.
Speak to yourself; for you have a captive audience.
Listen to yourself; everyone needs to be heard,
And appreciate yourself, you are here.
You know the difference between right and wrong;
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise,
Be they young, old, wise or well-read,
Be they even you.
(above: Tang Dynasty Cabinet courtesy of Hollywood Road Antiques).
The physical is here, and you are a part of it,
You stand alongside the mountains and the sea,
No greater, no less,
No different. (below: Sunrise in Costa Rica).
There is a part for everyone and everything,
Starring or small, they are all essential,
So give of yourself, and accept of others,
And appreciate the worth of all. (below: Cambridge University Library).
Read books, and listen to others,
Learn from all, and teach as well,
All existence is contained in a single leaf,
For it is not alone.
Remember to lose and unlearn and to learn again,
If only for the joy and experience of doing so,
For experience is enlightenment,
And humility is life.
(above: Image from the Diamond Sutras).
Open yourself to others,
For you are too much for one person to handle,
Even yourself,
Trust...
(above: Edward & Opal are best friends. To read their story, click on the image).
Trust in others
and accept them,
The pain we cause is for both sides to work out,
Weakness to be beaten,
Ignorance to be dissipated.
See all you can - force yourself,
Virtue and Courage are not won on a paved road,
What use are scales without a counterweight?
Generosity's power is held in the hearts of the selfish.
Don't hold back,
A thing left undone is not negative, or even a regret,
It is nothing,
And thoughts spent on nothing are wasted.
Words are tools of expression, use them as such,
There are already masks and barriers aplenty,
Words have their place; do not deny it to them -
You are creating discord by doing so.
Do your thing, your way,
You are the only one who can,
Make sure you go your way,
Lest you miss your destination.
Ignore power - for in caring, you have lost;
To grasp for it, or to run, is to be held,
And both roads does it guide,
There are no constants -
Accept it.
You'll win and you'll lose,
This is meant to be,
Try,
But accept the throw of the dice.
Everything has its place;
A lone snowflake can inspire,
And kings are forgotten,
The game is bigger than both.
Give, and you shall have more,
Take, and you will lose,
Forget the baggage and the cotton wool,
They are no protection from yourself.
Look for good and you will find it - anywhere,
Extinguish ignorance and weakness with love - for it is lasting,
They will always exist, and this is right,
As they are paths for us to clear. (below: London by Night).
Life hurts,
But fear is crippling,
So take a chance - you can only fall,
And falling is more interesting than standing still.
Live, really live,
For life is precious and a thing to be shared
Accomplish this for yourself and for others, as best you can,
The only way you can,
by knowing yourself...
There are always exceptions,
And words become obsolete in time,
Get out there, find the exceptions,
And write your story - in your own words. by Jamie Hutchinson (to read this in Mandarin Chinese, please click on the Chinese flag below): 要阅读这篇文章翻译成中文, 请点击这个中国国旗: