Trust and Confidence
Confucius was traveling from the state of Wei
back to his home country of Lu when he stopped to rest by a river. Looking
downstream, he saw the waters flow swiftly along the banks and tumble
down a great height in a spectacular waterfall.
Suddenly, he saw a man on the opposite bank who
was about to dive into the river. He called to the man urgently and
said, "The waters are very fast and deep. Even the fish and turtles
are afraid to go near this part of the river. If you try to swim across,
you'll be drowned."
The man acted as if he had not heard a word Confucius
said. He jumped into the river and swam leisurely across. Confucius
was amazed that the man could accomplish such a feat. As the man stepped
onto the shore, Confucius went over to him and said, "I have never
seen anyone with such skill in swimming. How were you able to keep yourself
from being swept away by the rapids?"
The man replied, "When I am in the water,
I trust the waters and I have confidence in myself. Therefore, no matter
how fast the waters are, I am not afraid. With trust and confidence,
I have become friends with the river. Therefore, I can swim across it
and it will not harm me."
Confucius then turned to his students and said,
"Remember these words well. If by trust and confidence you can
befriend a river, how much more can they help you to befriend people?"
Excerpt of the translation of
Lieh-tzu by Eva Wong