The mountain trees bring about their own demises [by being useful], burning oil exhausts itself in fire [when people use it in oil lamp]. The fruits of the cinnamon tree can be eaten, hence the trees are cut down; the varnish tree is useful, hence incisions are made in it. Everyone knows the usefulness of being useful, but no one knows the usefulness of being useless.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Useful things are exploited and destroyed, while the value of being useless is often overlooked.
- In plain terms
- Useful things get used up, but we ignore the value of uselessness.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize the hidden worth of things that seem useless.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What things you consider useless actually serve a purpose?
- How can we balance usefulness and preservation?
Another view
Usability is often essential for survival, making pure uselessness impractical.
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