Vroom VRM under CEO Paul Hennessy

Vroom VRM under CEO Paul Hennessy

 

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.
    

 

THE LINES

 

Nine in the second place means:

Setting right what has been spoiled by the mother.

One must not be too persevering.

This refers to mistakes that as a result of weakness have brought about decay –

hence the symbol, “what has been spoiled by the mother.”

In setting things right in such a case,

a certain gentle consideration is called for.

In order not to wound,

one should not attempt to proceed too drastically.

 

Nine in the third place means:

Setting right what has been spoiled by the father.

There will be a little remorse.

No great blame.

This describes a man who proceeds a little too energetically

in righting the mistakes of the past.

Now and then, as a result,

• minor discords and
  
• annoyances
  

will surely develop.

But too much energy is better than too little.

Therefore, although

• he may at times have some slight cause for regret,
  
• he remains free of any serious blame.
  

 

0 Six in the fifth place means:

Setting right what has been spoiled by the father.

One meets with praise.

An individual is confronted with corruption originating from neglect in former times.

He lacks the power to ward it off alone, but with able helpers

• he can at least bring about a thorough reform, if
  
• he cannot create a new beginning,
  

and this also is praiseworthy.

 

Nine at the top means:

He does not serve kings and princes,

Sets himself higher goals.

Not every man has an obligation to mingle in the affairs of the world.

There are some who are developed to such a degree that

they are justified

• in letting the world go its own way and
  
• in refusing to enter public life with a view to reforming it.
  

But this does not imply a right

• to remain idle or
  
• to sit back and merely criticize.
  

Such withdrawal is justified only when

we strive to realize in ourselves the higher aims of mankind.

For although

• the sage remains distant from the the turmoil of daily life,
  
• he creates incomparable human values for the future.
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 08 – Pi – Holding Together [Union]

Above    K’AN    THE ABYSMAL, WATER

Below    K’UN    THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH

The waters on the surface of the earth flow together wherever they can,

as for example in the ocean,

where all the rivers come together.

Symbolically this connotes

• holding together and
  
• the laws that regulate it.
  

The same idea is suggested by the fact that

all the lines of the hexagram except the fifth, the place of the ruler, are yielding.

The yielding lines hold together because they are influenced by

• a man of strong will in the leading position,
  
• a man who is their center of union.
  

Moreover, this strong and guiding personality in turn holds together with the others,

finding in them the complement of his own nature.

 

THE JUDGMENT

HOLDING TOGETHER brings good fortune.

Inquire of the oracle once again

Whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance;

Then there is no blame.

Those who are uncertain gradually join.

Whoever comes too late

Meets with misfortune.

What is required is that we unite with others, in order that

all may complement and aid one another through holding together.

But such holding together calls for a central figure around whom other persons may unite.

To become a center of influence holding people together is a

• grave matter and
  
• fraught with great responsibility.
  

It requires

• greatness of spirit,
  
• consistency, and
  
• strength.
  

Therefore let him who wishes to gather others about him ask himself whether he is equal to the undertaking,

for anyone attempting the task without a real calling for it

only makes confusion worse than if no union at all had taken place.

But when there is a real rallying point,

those who at first are hesitant or uncertain gradually come in of their own accord.

Late-comers must suffer the consequences, for in holding together the question of the right time is also important.

Relationships are formed and firmly established according to definite inner laws.

Common experiences strengthen these ties, and he who comes too late to share in these basic experiences must suffer for it if, as a straggler, he finds the door locked.

If a man

• has recognized the necessity for union and
  
• does not feel strong enough to function as the center,
  

it is his duty to become a member of some other organic fellowship.

 

THE IMAGE

On the earth is water: The image Of HOLDING TOGETHER.

Thus the kings of antiquity

• Bestowed the different states as fiefs And
  
• cultivated friendly relations With the feudal lords.
  

Water

• fills up all the empty places on the earth and
  
• clings fast to it.
  

The social organization of ancient China was based on this principle of the holding together of

• dependents and
  
• rulers.
  

Water flows to unite with water, because all parts of it are subject to the same laws.

So too should human society hold together through a community of interests that

allows each individual to feel himself a member of a whole.

The central power of a social organization must see to it that

every member finds that his true interest lies in holding together with it,

as was the case in the paternal relationship between king and vassals in ancient China.

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