British Petroleum under CEO Bob Dudley
THE HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 53 – Chien – Development (Gradual Progress)
Above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND, WOOD
Below KEN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
This hexagram is made up of Sun (wood, penetration) above, i.e., without, and Ken (mountain, stillness) below, i.e., within. A tree on a mountain develops slowly according to the law of its being and consequently stands firmly rooted. This gives the idea of a development that proceeds gradually, step by step. The attributes of the trigrams also point to this: within is tranquility, which guards against precipitate actions, and without is penetration, which makes development and progress possible.
THE JUDGMENT
DEVELOPMENT.
The maiden
Is given in marriage.
Good fortune.
Perseverance furthers.
The development of events that leads to a girl’s following a man to his home proceeds slowly. The various formalities must be disposed of before the marriage takes place. This principle of gradual development can be applied to other situations as well; it is always applicable where it is a matter of correct relationships of co-operation, as for instance in the appointment of an official. The development must be allowed to take its proper course. Hasty action would not be wise. This is also true, finally, of any effort to exert influence on others, for here too the essential factor is a correct way of development through cultivation of one’s own personality.
No influence such as that exerted by agitators has a lasting effect. Within the personality too, development must follow the same course if lasting results are to be achieved. Gentleness that is adaptable, but at the same time penetrating, is the outer form that should proceed from inner calm. The very gradualness of the development makes it necessary to have perseverance, for perseverance alone prevents slow progress from dwindling to nothing.
THE IMAGE
On the mountain, a tree: The image of DEVELOPMENT.
Thus the superior man abides in dignity and virtue,
In order to improve the mores.
The tree on the mountain is visible from afar, and its development influences the landscape of the entire region. It does not shoot up like a swamp plant; its growth proceeds gradually. Thus also the work of influencing people can be only gradual. No sudden influence or awakening is of lasting effect. Progress must be quite gradual, and in order to obtain such progress in public opinion and in the mores of the people, it is necessary for the personality to acquire influence and weight. This comes about through careful and constant work on one’s own moral development.
THE LINES
0 Nine in the fifth place means:
The wild goose gradually draws near the summit.
For three years the woman has no child.
In the end nothing can hinder her.
Good fortune.
The summit is a high place. In a high position one easily becomes isolated. One is misjudged by the very person on whom one is dependent – the woman by her husband, the official by his superior. This is the work of deceitful persons who have wormed their way in. The result is that relationships remain sterile, and nothing, is accomplished. But in the course of further development, such misunderstandings are cleared away, and reconciliation is achieved after all.
THE MOVING HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 52 – Ken – Keeping Still, Mountain
Above KEN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
Below KEN KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN
The image of this hexagram is the mountain, the youngest son of heaven and earth. The male principle is at the top, because it strives upward by nature; the female principle is below, since the direction of its movement is downward. Thus there is rest because the movement has come to its normal end.
In its application to man, the hexagram turns upon the problem of achieving a quiet heart. It is very difficult to bring quiet to the heart. While Buddhism strives for rest through an ebbing away of all movement in nirvana, the Book of Changes holds that rest is merely a state of polarity that always posits movement as its complement. Possibly the words of the text embody directions for the practice of yoga.
THE JUDGMENT
KEEPING STILL.
Keeping his back still
So that he no longer feels his body.
He goes into his courtyard
And does not see his people.
No blame.
True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life.
The hexagram signifies the end and the beginning of all movement. The back is named because in the back are located all the nerve fibers that mediate movement. If the movement of those spinal nerves is brought to a standstill, the ego, with its restlessness, disappears as it were. When a man has thus become calm, he may turn to the outside world. He no longer sees in it the struggle and tumult of individual beings, and therefore he has that true peace of mind which is needed for understanding the great laws of the universe and for action, in harmony with them. Whoever acts from these deep levels makes no mistakes.
THE IMAGE
Mountains standing close together: The image of KEEPING STILL.
Thus the superior man
Does not permit his thoughts
To go beyond his situation.
1The heart thinks constantly. This cannot be changed, but the movements of the heart – that is, a man’s thoughts – should restrict themselves to the immediate situation. All thinking that goes beyond this only makes the heart sore.
NUCLEAR HEXAGRAM
HEXAGRAM 40 – Hsieh – Deliverance
Above CHEN THE AROUSING, THUNDER
Below K’AN THE ABYSMAL, WATER
Here the movement goes out of the sphere of danger. The obstacle has been removed, the difficulties are being resolved. Deliverance is not yet achieved; it is just in its beginning, and the hexagram represents its various stages.
THE JUDGMENT
DELIVERANCE.
The southwest furthers.
If there is no longer anything where one has to go,
Return brings good fortune.
If there is still something where one has to go,
Hastening brings good fortune.
This refers to a time in which tensions and complications begin to be eased. At such times we ought to make our way back to ordinary conditions as soon as possible; this is the meaning of “the southwest.” These periods of sudden change have great importance. Just as rain relieves atmospheric tension, making all the buds burst open, so a time of deliverance from burdensome pressure has a liberating and stimulating effect on life. One thing is important, however: in such times we must not overdo our triumph. The point is not to push on farther than is necessary. Returning to the regular order of life as soon as deliverance is achieved brings good fortune. If there are any residual matters that ought to be attended to, it should be done as quickly as possible, so that a clean sweep is made and no retardation occur.
THE IMAGE
Thunder and rain set in: The image of DELIVERANCE.
Thus the superior man pardons mistakes
And forgives misdeeds.
A thunderstorm has the effect of clearing the air; the superior man produces a similar effect when dealing with mistakes and sins of men that induce a condition of tension. Through clarity he brings deliverance. However, when failings come to light, he does not dwell on them; he simply passes over mistakes, the unintentional transgressions, just as thunder dies away. He forgives misdeeds, the intentional transgressions, just as water washes everything clean.
BP plc
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Phone: 44 20 7496 4000
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Website: http://www.bp.com
Details
Index Membership: N/A
Sector: Basic Materials
Industry: Major Integrated Oil & Gas
Full Time Employees: 80,300
Mr. R. W. Dudley , 55 Chief Exec. Officer, Exec. VP, Head of Disaster Management Unit and Exec. Director
Business Summary
BP p.l.c. provides fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services, and petrochemicals products. The company operates through two segments: Exploration and Production, and Refining and Marketing. The Exploration and Production segment engages in the oil and natural gas exploration, field development, and production; and marketing and trading of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas, and power and natural gas liquids. It has exploration and production activities in Angola, Azerbaijan, Canada, Egypt, the Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as in the Asia Pacific, Latin America, North Africa, and the Middle East. This segment also owns and manages crude oil and natural gas pipelines; processing and export terminals; and LNG processing facilities and transportation, as well as involves in gas marketing and trading activities. BP p.l.c. has interests in the Trans Alaska pipeline system, the Forties pipeline system, the Central Area transmission system pipeline, the South Caucasus Pipeline, and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as in LNG plants located in Trinidad, Indonesia, and Australia. The Refining and Marketing segment engages in the supply and trading, refining, marketing, and transportation of crude oil, petroleum, and petrochemicals products and related services to wholesale and retail customers under the Aral, Amoco, ARCO, BP, and Castrol brands. The Other Businesses and Corporate segment produces and markets rolled aluminum products, as well as generates energy through wind, solar, biofuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage sources. The company was founded in 1889 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
