欲速则不达
More haste, less speed.

-- << Analects >>, Confucius( 551 - 479 B.C.)

Zi Xia, one of Analects ’s disciples, was appointed to be a high ranking offical in a region. Before he left, he asked his teaching master for good advice.  Confucius  said: ”Don’t haste. Don’t get small beniftis. If you haste, you’ll not reach your goal. If you are occupied with small benefits, you’ll not get big success.”

If we want to walk or run quickly, we have to move one leg at a time. To move both legs simultaneusly will only reduce the speed.

Yin Yang balance is about doing things at suitable speed.

When we want something too quickly, we become easily impatient. We can overlook important things in surroundings because we are too focused. We become easily frustrated when the result is absent. There is a danger that we give up too quickly. When we want something quickly and jump over hard work, when we wish to avoid pain and boredom and take shortcut, we will discover eventually that there are no shortcuts in life. Success with substance is built upon hard work, stone by stone.

A child studied silkworm. One day he saw a crack in the cocoon, and the butterfly inside struggled to get out. The child  felt sorry for the butterfly and wanted to help. He cut the cocoon with scissors so that the butterfly came out. But the the wings of the butterfly were too weak and it couldn’t fly. Several days later it died.

Transformation to butterfly is a painful process. Struggle and pain is necessary for butterflies to build up strengths in order to survive later on. The child’s help eventually hurt the butterfly.

Some people would say that in our time quick success is a real possibility. Media gives this dream opportunities. Reality-serie celebrities, Idol competition stars, Blog celebrities. The get success many people dream of. But only time will show if they are butterflies who  creep out of their cocoons too early.