Discretion, My Friend, Discretion Is The Key

Belonging to a country which implicitly promotes theft has given me a sense of suspicion, or paranoia, concerning the people I come in contact with on a daily basis. I don’t refer to the people close to me, like family and friends, but the strangers that cross my path during my stroll around the mall. I used to have to constantly inventory my belongings during these trips until I got bored of doing so, and began slacking off. One day during school, a place where I let scarcely expected to be robbed, I left my wallet on top of the Bookstore counter. After receiving my order, I remembered it, only to realize that it was missing. As soon as I finished my futile argument with the cashier, I realized that it was my fault that it had been stolen, since I left my wallet where it would be a temptation for those willing to rob me. Book three of Tao Te Ching has a useful lesson to teach when it advises us that “Not collecting treasures prevents stealing”. My opinion is that we can collect treasures, but it is advisable to not let the public know that you are doing so. We can apply this to any other characteristic one has that might lead to haughtiness and thus to jealousy. You can be smart, but don’t gloat or you will be hated and envied. You can be good, but don’t push it or people will not like you. You can be anything you want to be, just as long as you’re discreet about it. In this way, I partially agree and partially disagree with the Tao.