Let Go

Diverging. The Shadow Lands. The cause for sorrow disappears. You lose your horse. Do not pursue it. It returns to its origin of itself. You see the Hateful People. This is not a mistake. Hold back for now. Keep your mind and heart warm and clear. Stay where you feel secure. Harmony and strength will return of themselves. You will find the spirit and intelligence to carry all before you. Gather energy for the decisive new move.

初九, 悔亡, 喪馬, 勿逐自復, 見惡人, 无咎.

Remorse disappears. If you lose your horse, do not run after it; It will come back of its own accord. When you see evil people, Guard yourself against mistakes. ##### Comments Even in times when oppositions prevail, mistakes can be avoided, so that remorse disappears. When opposition begins to manifest itself, a man must not try to bring about unity by force, for by so doing he would only achieve the contrary, just as a horse goes farther and farther away if one runs after it. It it is one's won horse, one can safely let it go; it will come back of its own accord. So too when someone who belongs with us is momentarily estranged because of a misunderstanding, he will return of his own accord if we leave matters to him. One the other hand, it is well to be cautious when evil men who do not belong with us force themselves upon us, again as the result of a misunderstanding. Here the important thing is to avoid mistakes. We must not try to shake off these evil men by force; this would give rise to real hostility. We must simply endure them. They will eventually withdraw of their own accord.