A clever person turns great troubles into little ones, and little ones into none at all. – Chinese Proverb
A way to test out truth of a sentence, is to examine its opposite. If it is true that a clever person turns great troubles into little ones, then it must be true that a stupid person turns little troubles into great ones.
There is no debate that having less trouble is more desirable than having more trouble, but most people would complain that trouble does not come from their mind but from the outside world, from external circumstances.
That is where the Chinese proverb is useful. It reminds us that there is an internal processing of reality that either exaggerates or reduces the problems we see. The person who sees no trouble with anything is likely to be a victim of their own carelessness, but the person who sees trouble with everything is likely to be a victim of their own scrupulousness.
The best course of action is always to process as much trouble as necessary but no more. In our modern world of instant “news”, we are always drawn into some conversation that is happening now. We are creatures that are infatuated with the dramatic and the scandalous. If there is nothing wrong with our own lives, we will peer into the lives of celebrities and take pleasure in pointing out their flaws to anyone who is willing to listen. Unfortunately, there are many willing listeners.
Other forms of trouble are manufactured by our tenuous relationship with time. We feel that we are running out of time, so we rush ourselves, and in doing so, we miss out on important details. We feel the pressure of the clock winding down, and if we have not ticked off enough items from our checklist, we feel anxious.
Other forms of trouble are created by our need to imitate other people. Whether we are imitating their behavior or their objectives or even their values. We often find ourselves with a sword in hand, willing to fight with an enemy that we never chose as our own. Or maybe we find ourselves coveting certain possessions, a lifestyle, or a person. Any lack in any of these areas presents to us a great travesty, that we are lacking something, that we are not whole.
And when we distance ourselves from it all and reflect on our behavior, we realize that the mere lack of things that are unnecessary, potentially troubling, exhausting, and even dangerous, has sowed in us enduring feelings of discontent. The wise person, or the clever person, reduces the obstacles they need to face, rather than multiplies them.