I Ching

A close-knit community that is really fulfilling is one where healthy interdependence is supported.  Leadership is essential, but strong bonds of membership are dependent upon every member of the group.  Trust, shared responsibilities and good communication are essential. Each member must be encouraged to find his or her appropriate expression, and contribution.

The functional family is a team which symbolizes the ideal of human interdependence, and has long provided a firm foundation for society.  The healthy family is a microcosm of society and the native soil in which ethical values take root and grow.   Fertilize this soil, and the whole of society benefits.

The power which bonds a family, or a tribe of any kind, together is the feminine principle Ñ gentleness and receptivity.   Teamwork can be improved through cultivation of these qualities. Learn to accept both advice and aid from others, and be willing to assume an appropriate activve role in any group you join.  A good team player is extremely valuable to others. The best way to get what you want is always to help others get what they want.

1. Every group must establish strict guidelines in order to succeed.  When beginning any activity or project which requires the exercise of authority, it is vital to exercise power firmly and evenly.  This may cause problems at first, but it is the only way to create a stable situation from which positive results can emanate.  Dissatisfaction soon vanishes and things start to go well, particularly if kindness remains an element of authority.  Remember, that training or leading others requires that you embody both integrity and consistency.
   Another aspect of this particular line has to do with not spoiling children.  Structure your family sensibly and all will be well.  Within either a family or a team, you owe it to those for whom you are responsible to respond appropriately to their egos (including temper tantrums and other emotional demands) with inner calm.  If you are lenient with a child who marks on the furniture one time, can you blame the child for doing it again? If you have spoiled someone by yielding to childish demands, you are faced sooner or later with having to reform an errant rascal – not an easy task.
2. It serves you to attend to the needs of your team.  Manage your brood like a housewife.  Your caring perseverance will rebound to the benefit of the whole group.  Now is the time to quietly confine yourself to duties at hand.  In this way, everyone prospers.
3. Corrective measures should be firm but not excessive – although it is better to be too firm than too lax.  While it is important not to over-indulge those in your charge, it’s also important not to come down too hard on them when things go awry.  Excessive severity would cause regret.  The best thing is to set up firm limits within which group members are allowed total freedom of movement.
   An unwillingness on the part of those in positions of authority to tolerate bad habits brings good fortune.
4. Successful bonding is aided by the moderating influences within the group.  Balancing income and expenditures brings good fortune.
5. When in a position of authority, it furthers one to be loving and trustworthy rather than bold and inconsistent.  For instance, when parents make love the true center of family life, the whole world is ready to respond with goodwill.
6. You are confident and your work commands respect.  This is a time of reward and recognition for you.  Remember that the leader of a circle of influence (a group of friends, teammates, or family group) has a responsibility to set a good example, for it is only through developing your own character that you can influence others and create order.