To cut firewood, look at its features.
When a woodcutter wants to collect firewood, he needs to survey the terrains of the mountain to see whether the mountain is rough, smooth, easy or difficult to move across. He has to find out how best to collect the firewood from the mountain with minimum effort. He looks at the whole picture first. When he is about to cut the firewood, he has to look at its features to figure out the correct way to cut it. He now has to look at the parts of the firewood.
An emperor was amazed at the way a master butcher slaughtered an ox, and wanted to know how he could do so with such excellent skills. The master butcher explained that his skills were acquired through many years of observation and hard work. Initially when he worked, he only saw before him individual oxen. After three years of practice, however, he saw no more whole oxen but just the sum total of their muscles, tendons and bones.
In a delicate situation where tendons and bones meet, the master butcher said that he would just gently apply his blade on the key joint and the part would then fall like crumbling earth. This Chinese idiom, Seeing no ox as whole, inspires us to study and work efficiently. Excellence in performance comes from hard work, and knowing how best things can be done.
Learn from the woodcutter who looks at the holistic view in collecting firewood and the details in cutting it. He looks at whole and at parts. Learn also from the master butcher whose skills come from observation and diligent work. Both the woodcutter and the master butcher have methods in doing things.
An emperor was amazed at the way a master butcher slaughtered an ox, and wanted to know how he could do so with such excellent skills. The master butcher explained that his skills were acquired through many years of observation and hard work. Initially when he worked, he only saw before him individual oxen. After three years of practice, however, he saw no more whole oxen but just the sum total of their muscles, tendons and bones.
In a delicate situation where tendons and bones meet, the master butcher said that he would just gently apply his blade on the key joint and the part would then fall like crumbling earth. This Chinese idiom, Seeing no ox as whole, inspires us to study and work efficiently. Excellence in performance comes from hard work, and knowing how best things can be done.
Learn from the woodcutter who looks at the holistic view in collecting firewood and the details in cutting it. He looks at whole and at parts. Learn also from the master butcher whose skills come from observation and diligent work. Both the woodcutter and the master butcher have methods in doing things.
11 August 2009
Methods do matter...I agree...Even when we talk to others, we must always be careful to weigh our words....'A soft answer turns away wrath'
ReplyDeleteI wish my students will apply this in doing research...
ReplyDeleteDear Jin Neoh and Changs,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you.
With methods, one gets twice the result with half the effort.
Without methods, one gets half the result with twice the effort.
If you want others to believe in what you write or say you have to 'practise what you preach'. Speaking on what you believe and practising it, is one method that matters much.
ReplyDeleteTrust is something that can easily be taken for granted. Promises are made without thinking.
Trust is like a vase.. once it's broken, though you can fix it the vase will never be same again.
It takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
Practise what you preach because it matters much.
Well said, Juliet.
ReplyDelete