36. Diminished Influence

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The Lines

Bottom. [9] A man may attempt to overcome the adverse times in spite of the fact that his influence has diminished, but he cannot. The forces opposed to him are stronger than he is. He is forced to back down and avoid the conflict. There is no one who will receive him and give him encouragement. Since he holds to his principles and stays focused on his goals in a time when all are opposed to him, he is forced to remain isolated, to rely solely on his own resources, and to endure being an outcast.

2. [6] The superior man is in a subordinate position, and he is held back by those above him. Nevertheless, he is able to do some good to the few that are still his supporters, in spite of the difficulties. He helps as many as he can and is unconcerned about his own problems. Such selfless generosity brings good fortune, and he finds success in spite of the difficult times.

3. [9] The superior man persists in his struggle to accomplish something, and, apparently by chance, he gains the advantage over the inferior leader. The darker forces, long entrenched, are finally overcome. But the superior man must move carefully and make changes slowly. Old ways, well established, are difficult to replace, and at first, the new is very fragile. Drastic changes would likely end in chaos and disaster if introduced all at once.

4. [6] The superior man gains insight into the very heart of the inferior man's operation. He sees the inner dynamics, the way things have been managed, the way business has been conducted, and realizes that there is no chance of correcting the situation. This is truly a bad situation, and there is no possibility that it can survive. The best that he can do is protect himself and his associates by withdrawing completely from the whole operation before the full extent of the disaster becomes generally known.

5. [6] The superior man recognizes fully how bad the situation is, but he is not free to abandon it. He is compelled to stay on, even though he does not believe in it, even though he knows that no good will come of it all. All that he can do is maintain his own integrity and allow himself to be present, but not a participant. If he remains true to himself and acts with great caution, he will prevent himself from being caught up in the developing danger.

Top. [6] The inferior elements seems invincible. It is so powerful, superior men seem helpless before it. It has succeeded in winning against decency and seemingly has completely vanquished the superior man. But it is at just such a time that reversals occur. Evil has exhausted itself, and its reign is at an end. When evil finally achieves what it set out to achieve, it no longer has anywhere to go. There is no more momentum, nothing more to keep it going, and it collapses on its own emptiness.

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