At Eighty, Still on the Road
If a seven-year-old surpasses me, I will ask him; if a hundred-year-old falls short of me, I will teach him.
Do I use age and rank as an excuse, ashamed to learn from someone younger or junior?
📝Reflection
Zhaozhou is famed for setting out on the road in search of learning even past eighty. He said: if a seven-year-old surpasses me, I will ask him; if a hundred-year-old falls short of me, I will teach him. Neither age nor rank decides the direction of learning. We tend to stop learning once we reach a certain station, treating it as a wound to our pride to ask someone younger or junior. Yet Zhaozhou laid that pride down for life. The truly great learn from anyone. If there is something to learn from a seven-year-old, they gladly bow their head. The moment we weigh age and face before learning, we age the fastest. Zhaozhou, still on the road at eighty — that was the secret of how he stayed awake so long.
🌱Apply It Today
If someone younger or less experienced knows something well today, set pride aside for a moment and sincerely ask: "Would you teach me that, too?"
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
