Blocked: Turn Back to Yourself

When the road is blocked, who do you blame first?

Original

蹇：利西南，不利東北；利見大人，貞吉。彖曰：蹇，難也，險在前也。見險而能止，知矣哉！象曰：山上有水，蹇；君子以反身修德。

In plain words

Obstruction: the southwest is favourable, the northeast is not. It is favourable to see the great person; staying upright brings good fortune. The Tuan Commentary says: Obstruction is difficulty: danger lies ahead. To see danger and be able to stop: how wise! The Image says: Water on the mountain: Obstruction. The noble person turns back to himself and works on his character.

Key words

蹇jiǎnA character built on the foot: limping, hard going.
往來wǎng láiGoing forward and coming back: the key pair in Jian's lines.
反身fǎn shēnTurning back to examine yourself.

Reading it step by step

Kun was water draining away. Jian (Obstruction) is a road you can't get down. Below is the Mountain, above is Water: a mountain blocks the way, and there is water on the mountain too. The character for Jian has a foot at the bottom; it first meant limping, hard going. Su Shi, remembering a long journey of his youth, wrote of a road that went on and on, travellers worn out, and a lame donkey braying.

First: seeing danger and being able to stop is wisdom. The commentary says: “Obstruction is difficulty: danger lies ahead. To see danger and be able to stop: how wise!” The mountain means stopping; the water means danger. We tend to think courage means charging ahead. The Changes praises the one who can stop. Stopping isn't giving up. It's looking clearly first: can this road be travelled now?

Second: going on is hard, but coming back brings something. The line texts of Jian share an unusual pattern. “Going: obstruction; coming back: praise.” “Going: obstruction; coming back: return home.” “Coming back: companions.” “Coming back: a rich harvest.” Every line that pushes forward meets difficulty; every line that turns back gains something: praise, a glad welcome at home, allies, abundance.

Not one of the six lines says “misfortune.” The shortest path between two points is a straight line, but a life often has to pause, step back and go around before it arrives. Even the Judgment's “southwest, not northeast” isn't a compass reading. The southwest belongs to Kun, the yielding trigram. When the going is hard, be supple: don't stand on your dignity, and don't force your way through.

going forward

obstructionfour lines say: blocked

coming back

praiseyou're commended

returna glad welcome home

companionsallies at your back

harvesta rich crop

Not one of the six lines says “misfortune.”

Third: “turn back to yourself and work on your character.” When the road won't open, look at yourself first. Mencius compared this to archery: the archer straightens himself before he shoots, and if he misses, he doesn't resent the one who beat him; he looks for the cause in himself. This doesn't mean nothing outside is wrong. It means you can change little out there, while on your own side there is always something to work on: skill, attitude, the way you speak, how well you've prepared.

Today's Jian might be an application sent back again and again, a project stuck on someone's desk, a conversation that goes nowhere however you try. Rather than spending your strength blaming the road, the mountain or other people, stop and use the time to build yourself up. When the road opens, you'll be a better traveller.

Stopping isn't quitting. It's pushing in a different direction.

One line to carry

When the road is blocked, mend the traveller.

Today's question

Which road is blocked for you right now? Before blaming the road, write down one thing on your own side you could work on.

Quick check

What pattern runs through Jian's lines, “going: obstruction; coming back: …”?

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III · When Things Are Hard — You can't choose the situation; you can choose the response

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