Zen Masters
Zen masters of old had both sentimentality and toughness. The same master who could write a beautiful haiku about nature could just as easily be harsh on a student. What this shows is that we need balance and we need to know when to use what. There is a time to be soft and a time to be hard. A time to work and a time to relax. Life shows us similar lessons as those old zen masters. Sometimes it is pleasurable and sometimes it is almost unbearable. Yet knowing up will be down, and down will be up eventually keeps us focused and balanced.
