To concentrate, you must first give up. The choice lies in setting priorities, and to overcome the limits of concentration, you must boldly let go of things of low importance according to those priorities. Greed hinders the act of giving up. Not giving up is not merely about intelligence; it involves morality, values, and a person’s character. This is also why human beings do not succeed based on knowledge alone. Even if you decide to give up, concentration exists in another dimension. Choosing something means also giving up or rejecting something else. At this juncture, a value exchange occurs between what is chosen and what is discarded. Thus, our greed is linked to comparative values. The next choice and abandonment depend on the values I already possess. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Most trees do not grow alone; they grow alongside other trees. If a tree does not thrive, it cannot develop further because it is overshadowed by its neighboring trees, making it difficult to bear fruit. If it does not bear fruit, it cannot prosper and may eventually die or decline. To bear fruit signifies survival. A tree or a person can gauge health and future development based on its fruit. The fruit of a person is represented by their work and achievements. The track record reflects aspects of luck, effort, ability, humanity, capital, and time. Each element contributes differently to performance, but the variation does not shame the individual. Success or failure is secondary; the true shame lies in having no achievements. Trees and people are evaluated by their fruit. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”