fire (live from w而傳統而, July 4, 1982)

Passage 2.“Packing ”a Person
A person,like a commodity,needs packaging.
But going too far is absolutely undesirable.
A little exaggeration,however,
does no harm when it shows
the person's unique qualities to their advantage.
To display personal charm in a casual and natural way,
it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself.
A master packager knows how to integrate art and nature without
any traces of embellishment,
so that the person
so packaged is no commodity
but a human being,lively and lovely.
A young person,especially a female ,
radiant with beauty and full of life,
has all the favor granted by God.
Any attempt to make up would be self-defeating.
Youth,however,comes and goes in a moment of doze.
Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily
to conceal the furrows ploughed by time.
If you still enjoy life's exuberance enough to
retain self-confidence and pursue pioneering work,
you are unique in your natural qualities,
and your charm and grace will remain.
Elderly people are beautiful
f their river of life has been,
through plains,mountains and jungles,
running its course as it should.
You have really lived your life
which now arrives
at a complacent stage of serenity
indifferent to fame or wealth.
There is no need to
resort to hair-dyeing ；
the snow-capped mountain is itself
a beautiful scene of fairyland.
Let your looks change from young
to old synchronizing with
the natural ageing process
so as to keep in harmony with nature,
for harmony itself is beauty,
while the other way round will
only end in unpleasantness.
To be in the elder's company
is like reading
a thick book of deluxe edition
that fascinates one
so much as to be reluctant to part with.
As long as one finds where one stands,
one knows how to package oneself,
just as a commodity establishes its brand
by the right packaging