When I read past e-mails from my father, I often envision a Confucian scholar. He wrote like one. His words were not spontaneous but deliberate. The writing itself is from another era.
In an e-mail dated July 27, 2012 to all three of us, he wrote the following passage:
Remember: Health, wealth and wisdom, which is the most important? The answer is wisdom. When you deal with everything wisely, you’ll naturally keep yourself healthy. And only when you have both wisdom and good health can you become wealthy.
I wonder if it’s original. If not, where did he get it from? I half-expected a citation.
Earlier, on March 28, 2012, he quoted Confucius (551-479 BC). Pity we never discussed what Confucius really meant and how applicable his famous Analects are today.
There are three things which people guard against. In youth, when the
physical powers are not yet settled, they guard against lust. When
they are strong and the physical powers are full of vigor, they guard
against quarrelsomeness. When they are old, and the animal powers are
decayed, they guard against covetousness.
There are three things we find enjoyment in which are advantageous. To
find enjoyment in the discriminating study of ceremonies and music; to
find enjoyment in speaking of the goodness of others; to find
enjoyment in having many worthy friends:–these are advantageous.
To find enjoyment in extravagant pleasures; to find enjoyment in idleness
and sauntering; to find enjoyment in the pleasures of feasting:–these
are injurious.