How do you know who the great man is?

[twilightshadow]

Yi often refers to the great man, superior man etc. I understand when it says something like the superior man does such and such that it is advising how to behave, but what about when it says see the great man? How do you know who that is?

I was asking about my prospects for obtaining a teaching job this year, with the idea of maybe I was on the wrong path, that I should be doing something else, and got 39.6. I read this as saying that though there are obstructions they will clear eventually and that this is the correct path for me to take. The last I got from Wilhelms translation about not turning your back on the world and adhering to duty. I got into teaching because I wanted to motivate and inspire the next generation to be something more.

However, it also advises to see the great man, which I take as saying to take advice from someone or perhaps someone I should be speaking to about getting a job, but how do I know who that is and if it is someone who is even accessible to me? Any thoughts???

 

[bradford]

Superior Man is just a really bad translation of the term Junzi,
referring to a child of the noble class. Young noble is much better.

Great Man is a good translation of Da Ren, but within the range of
literal translations, mature human being also translates the term.
You might think of Great Man is someone who has accomplished
something significant in life, a good example or role model.

 

[fkegan]

Hi twilightshadow,

Translating the Chinese is a thorny problem. Understanding what is the Yi Oracle symbolism in hexagrams and moving lines is a separate problem. In terms of any specific personal oracle answer to YOU, a few things to keep in mind:

The Wilhelm translates mostly the Confucian commentaries which were developed as a source of advice for ancient Chinese Imperial bureaucrats most concerned with avoiding being blamed or accused of coming up with an original idea (someone else only should do that). Fortunately, you are looking for a job as a teacher, which is a bureaucratic job with the principal and such being very like what might be found in ancient China.

Hex 39.6 moves toward hex 53 or Valley Forge >> Diamond Cutting. With the open Yin in the place of final transition to the next is developing focus, changing the whole situation from Obstruction to Gradual Development. This is an oracle about moving on from a difficult place to a growing one.

First off, you asked the question in the context of giving up on teaching. The Yi responded in a very supportive way, saying don't give up, serving the next generation is your self-chosen duty. Thus, take your situation as a challenge not a dead end. Education is in trouble everywhere and public budgets are tight and those in the education Establishment are finding their stress is driving them even farther round the bend than usual.

Who is the Great Man in YOUR oracle? There would be two choices:
1)The simple one is whoever inspires you as a teacher to want to help the kids despite the situation in the schools. If you keep your ideal mentor or one who inspires you clearly in mind, it will make the process easier. See the great man does not necessarily mean knock on someone's door--or it could.

2)The more complicated one is to find out what motivates whoever is deciding the to hiring of you. If you can find out what they appreciate and truthfully find a way to promote yourself as being someone who is similarly inspired, that would be helpful in your job search. That involves seeing that decision maker as the great man of your job search and doing intelligence gathering upon their preferences and hiring goals.

Good luck,
Frank

 

[willowfox]

It does suggest that the easy way out would be to give up and do something else but line 39.6 is telling you not to give up, your duty, so to speak, lies in the turmoil of the classroom where your talents are sorely needed because obviously you appear to be a good teacher.

So, the superior man is going to be the head of a school somewhere in your immediate vicinity.

 

[twilightshadow]

Thanks, these were all very enlightening. I was thinking it was speaking of someone specific I needed to get in touch with in order to succeed in obtaining a position, but in actuality, if it refers to anyone in that framework, it indicates anyone in charge of hiring. The great man in that context would be anyone with a job opening Im interested in, but maybe it is saying to do more than just send my resume, perhaps apply in person or request a personal interview.

I never thought of the other side with it being the person who inspired me. In that case, it would not be just one person. What inspired me originally was working in public asst and seeing what happened to people who failed to get an education, but what inspires me now, on a daily basis, are my kids, especially the ones who keep in touch with me. There are students from my first year who are now 18 and have kept in touch for 4 yrs; they consider me more of a friend now, and they constantly tell me how much I inspired them to strive for more, how much my belief in them mattered.

In my situation both of these will probably help, as the first might help me get the job, and the second might help keep me going when I get discouraged. In fact, maybe that was part of the advice, when I get discouraged, talk to those who help me to keep going, who remind me of all Ive accomplished in the last few years. Thanks again for your help, this was very insightful.

 

[bradford]

if it refers to anyone in that framework, it indicates anyone in charge of hiring. The great man in that context would be anyone with a job opening Im interested in, but maybe it is saying to do more than just send my resume, perhaps apply in person or request a personal interview.

In the phrase Li Jian Da Ren, worthwhile (or profitable) to see (or meet) the great man
the word Jian usually does denote a personal encounter, a meeting face to face.

 

[willowfox]

The commentary suggests an alliance or acting in cooperation with the great man/woman, so the great man of a school is perhaps the principal and therefore not an interviewer or some such like.

 

[fkegan]

The commentary suggests an alliance or acting in cooperation with the great man/woman, so the great man of a school is perhaps the principal and therefore not an interviewer or some such like.

Hi WF,
In most school districts, it is the principal who does the interviewing. They are in charge of the school and it is they who have to choose their teachers. Simplifies things.

Hi twilightshadow,
Both thinking in terms of who inspires you both mentors and students you've helped is good. Students nowadays are our canaries in the coal mine who are exposed to much more than they can deal with yet they continue to survive somehow.

In our local paper there was a feature story of a principal who had made major progress improving the student scores at his school. One of his major catch phrases was, "you are smart." Which the students reported was the first time anyone had ever said that to them and it inspires them. Small things have major impact upon them.

Glad we could be of help. Yes, interviews and face-to-face interaction with the principal who will hire you (and whom you will need to support you in the classroom) is very important. Send the resume, follow up on the phone--talking to both the principal's secretary and the principal. The Great man may well do the hiring, but the assistant knows everything and arranges everything and is also totally important to know well.

Good Luck,
Frank