BNSF Railway under CEO Kathryn Farmer

BNSF Railway under CEO Kathryn Farmer

 

HEXAGRAM 57 – Sun – The Gentle (The    Penetrating, Wind)

Above    SUN    THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD

Below    SUN    THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD

Sun is one of the eight doubled trigrams.

It

• is the eldest daughter
  

and

• symbolizes wind or wood;
  

it has for its attribute gentleness,

which nonetheless penetrates

• like the wind
  

or

• like growing wood
  

with its roots.

The dark principle, in itself rigid and immovable,

is dissolved by the penetrating light principle,

to which it subordinates itself in gentleness.

1. In nature,
   

it is the wind that

• disperses the gathered clouds,
  

  leaving the sky clear and serene.
  

1. In human life
   

it is penetrating clarity of judgment that

• thwarts all dark hidden motives.
  

1. In the life of the community
   

it is the powerful influence of a great personality that

• uncovers and breaks up those intrigues
  

  which shun the light of day.
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

THE GENTLE.

Success through what is small.

• It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
  
• It furthers one to see the great man.
  

Penetration produces

• gradual
  

and

• inconspicuous
  

effects.

It should be effected

• not by an act of violation
  
• but by influence that never lapses.
  

• Results of this kind are less striking to the eye
  

than

• those won by surprise attack,
  

but

• they
  
  • are more enduring
    

  and
  

  • more complete.
    

If

• one would produce such effects
  
• one must have a dearly defined goal,
  

for only when

• the penetrating influence works always in the same direction
  
• can the object be attained.
  

Small strength can achieve its purpose

only by

• subordinating itself to an eminent man
  
• who is capable of creating order.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Winds following one upon the other: The image of THE GENTLY PENETRATING.

Thus

the superior man

• Spreads his commands abroad
  

And

• carries out his undertakings.
  

• The penetrating quality of the wind depends upon its ceaselessness.
  
  • This is what makes it so powerful;
    
  • time is its instrument.
    

In the same way

• the ruler’s thought should penetrate the soul of the people.
  
  • This too requires a lasting influence brought about by
    
    • enlightenment
      

    and
    

    • command.
      

Only when

• the command has been assimilated by the people
  
• is action in accordance with it possible.
  

Action without preparation of the ground only

• frightens
  

and

• repels.
  

 

THE LINES

Nine in the fifth place means:

Perseverance brings good fortune.

Remorse vanishes.

Nothing that does not further.

• No beginning,
  

but

• an end.
  
• Before the change, three days.
  
• After the change, three days.
  

Good fortune.

In the situation described in Ku, WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILED (18),

• an entirely new point of departure must be set
  

whereas here

• it is only a question of reforms.
  

• The beginning has not been good,
  

but

• the moment has been reached when a new direction can be taken.
  

Change and improvement are called for.

Such steps must be undertaken

• with steadfastness,
  

that is,

• with a firm and correct attitude of mind;
  

then

• they will succeed,
  

and

• remorse will disappear.
  

But

it must be remembered that

such improvements require careful consideration.

Before a change is made,

• it must be pondered over again and again.
  

After the change is made,

• it is necessary to note carefully for some time after
  

  how the improvements bear the test of actuality.
  

Such careful work is accompanied by good fortune.

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

HEXAGRAM 18 – Ku – Work on What Has Been Spoiled (Decay)

Above    KEN    KEEPING STILL,     MOUNTAIN

Below    SUN     THE GENTLE, WIND

The Chinese character Ku represents a bowl

in whose contents worms are breeding.

This means decay.

It has come about because

• the gentle indifference of the lower trigram has come together with
  
• the rigid inertia of the upper, and
  

the result is stagnation.

Since this implies guilt,

the conditions embody a demand for removal of the cause.

Hence the meaning of the hexagram is

• not simply “what has been spoiled”
  
• but “work on what has been spoiled.”
  

 

THE JUDGMENT

WORK ON WHAT HAS BEEN SPOILED

Has supreme success.

It furthers one to cross the great water.

Before the starting point, three days.

After the starting point, three days.

What has been spoiled through man’s fault can be made good again through man’s work.

• It is not immutable fate, as, in the time of STANDSTILL,
  

  that has caused the state of corruption,
  

• but rather the abuse of human freedom.
  

Work toward improving conditions promises well,

because it accords with the possibilities of the time.

We

• must not recoil from work and danger –
  

  symbolized by crossing of the great water – but
  

• must take hold energetically.
  

Success depends, however, on proper deliberation.

This is expressed by the lines,

• “Before the starting point, three days.
  
• After the starting point, three days.”
  

We must first know the causes of corruption

before we can do away with them;

hence it is necessary to be cautious during the time before the start.

Then

we must see to it that the new way is safely entered upon, so that

a relapse may be avoided;

therefore

we must pay attention to the time after the start.

• Decisiveness and
  
• energy
  

must take the place of the

• inertia and
  
• indifference
  

that have led to decay,

in order that the ending may be followed by a new beginning.

 

THE IMAGE

The wind blows low on the mountain: The image Of DECAY.

Thus the superior man

• stirs up the people And
  
• strengthens their spirit.
  

• When the wind blows low on the mountain,
  
• it is thrown back and spoils the vegetation.
  

This contains a challenge to improvement.

It is the same with

• debasing attitudes and
  
• fashions;
  

they corrupt human society.

To do away with this corruption,

the superior man must regenerate society.

His methods likewise must be derived from the two trigrams,

but in such a way that their effects unfold in orderly sequence.

The superior man

• must first remove stagnation by stirring up public opinion,
  
  • as the wind stirs everything, and
    
• must then strengthen and tranquilize the character of the people,
  
  • as the mountain gives tranquility and nourishment to all that grows in its vicinity.
    

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