Saturday, August 21

Happy fiftieth birthday to me!

In the Analects 論語 Confucius says,
吾十有五而志于學,三十而立,四十而不惑,五十而知天命,六十而耳順,七十而從心所欲、不踰矩。

At fifteen I had the will to study; at thirty I stood firm; at forty I had no more doubts; at fifty I knew Heaven's fate; at sixty my ear was obedient; at seventy I could follow my heart's desires without transgressing the norm.
(based on Charles Muller's translation). Whether Confucius meant knowing one's fate in the sense of accepting one's lot in life, this is how 知命 has come to be generally used.

I don't like to be pigeon-holed any more than lots of other people, but ironically I came to know my fate in this sense (which is actually pretty damn good) in my late 40's. During this past year I wrote an article that touched on this idea. It should come out in my fiftieth year.

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