Back when I was a freshman in University, I ‘lived’ in a home-stay. It was my mother who insisted that I ‘live’ with a local, so there would be someone to look after me. The home-stay did not work out as planned, and the host refused to return the balance rent to me. You know how broke students can get, so I was at my wits end. Luckily, there were student counsellors who can help us, and I remember that the counsellor (I don’t remember his name, but I remember he was a kind and elderly guy with grey hair) who was assigned to help me simply wrote a “please can you out of goodwill return part or all of the money to this student”. I asked if we should word something stronger, and he said: “You know, when you are in a battle, a good General will fire a few cannons into the enemy’s camp. And he will stop and let the enemy rest. During this rest period, the enemy may retaliate, or the enemy may surrender. But if you completely annihilate the enemy, then there is nothing to talk about anymore. Even though the enemy will be dead, but you will not escape completely unharmed.” Of course shortly after we sent the friendly letter, I got the money back from my host.

But it’s not just kind and elderly gentlemen with greying hair who can dish out peace-loving advice. I remember also, back when I was a student, I was taking a stroll with a friend’s 8-year old daughter, and she said this of her future husband. “If we have a disagreement, we would have to sit down and talk it over nicely. I don’t want him to shout at me, and I don’t want to shout at him either. I don’t think that is right.”

There is nothing on this Earth more to be prized than peace. Peace makes you strong, because you don’t have to channel your energy towards disagreements and quarrels. And remember I said before that ‘energy’ is important in Feng Shui. You know, when I say to take the easy way out of situations, it does not mean that you should let yourself be bullied completely. But what it does mean is that ‘pride’ is not that important, if it means that you can get what you want, without causing the other party to lose face completely. We should always give the enemy some space to back into. A dog when cornered will be unpredictable, so if it’s not a life-and-death situation, how about we just live and let live? Haha, do you think that I sound enlightened? Nah, as you know, when I was in my twenties, I worked in this ‘Credit’ department, and I spent my whole day saying “Sorry”, “Sorry”, “Sorry” to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Look at me today, I am still alive and thriving, even though I said “sorry” one million times then. Saying “sorry” is nothing. Pride is not that worth pursuing. Shall I leave it at that? Think about it ok? 😘