SuperHappyFu-
nKitty

USELESSNESS

An ancient gnarled tree:

Too fibrous for a logger’s saw,

Too twisted to fit a carpenter’s square,

Outlasts the whole forest.

Loggers delight in straight-grained, strong, fragrant wood. If the

timber is too difficult to cut, too twisted to be made straight, too

foul-odored for cabinets, and too spongy for firewood, it is left alone.

Useful trees are cut down. Useless ones survive.

The same is true of people. The strong are conscripted. The

beautiful are exploited. Those who are too plain to be noticed are the

ones who survive. They are left alone and safe.

But what if we ourselves are among such plain persons? Though others

may neglect us, we should not think of ourselves as being without value.

We must not accept the judgment of others as the measure of our own

self-worth. Instead, we should live our lives in simplicity. Surely, we

will have flaws, but we must take stock in them according to our own

judgment and then use them as a measure of self-improvement. Since we

need not expend energy in putting on airs or maintaining a position, we

are actually free to cultivate the best parts of our personalities.

Thus, to be considered useless is not a reason for despair, but an

opportunity. It is the chance to live without interference and to

express one’s own individuality.