I Ching

Personal resolution points to a breakthrough, but decisive action is necessary.  As long as you diligently hold your ground and ward off negative tendencies or evil influences, the good will prevail.The persistence of negativity is a constant in human affairs; just when it is thought to have been eradicated, up it will pop again, sprouting through some crack in the pavement of decent society.   Evil need not take extravagant, forms, such as those exhibited in Nazi Germany. Garden-variety lies and deceit are much more common and persistent, but need to be rooted out just as diligently.  One must be resolved against dark forces Ñ whether in one’s social or professional life, or in one’s own soul.  In either case, definite rules must be followed for the struggle to succeed.

The first rule:  do not compromise with evil.  Negative actions must be identified openly for what they are, and discredited.   The second:  one cannot resist negativity on its own terms. New, positive alternatives which lead away from the source of the problem are generally more successful, and appropriate, than to counter negativity with raw power.  The third rule: the means used to counter negativity must be consistent with the end to be achieved.   One cannot stop the spreading of lies by spreading more of them.

The smallest personal faults and foibles should be watched carefully during a period of determined effort.

1. Pressing forward when you are not equal to the task invites mistakes and misfortune.  Gauge your own strength carefully before undertaking any new initiative, and venture only as far as you can go with certainty of success.  To plunge ahead blindly at the beginning is unskillful, because this is precisely the time when an unexpected setback would produce the most disastrous results.  Beware of self-confidence that is not well-grounded.
2. Determination requires sensitivity, readiness and caution.  Expect the unexpected, moving through life with the alertness of a someone driving through a mountain forest at night, watchful for movement around each new bend in the road.
3. This particular lines points to someone caught in an ambiguous situation, where existing relationships interfere with a determined struggle against negative forces.  In such a situation, you may have to use your position to turn things around, even though others impugn your motives, with the result that your reputation may become muddied.  But if you keep your motivation pure, even association with disruptive influences will be free of blame.
4. A restless person with an obstinate attitude invariably meets with misfortune.  Failure to heed good advice when confronting antagonistic forces, is bound to lead to failure.
5. Uprooting corruption in high places is a difficult task, and can only be accomplished by a steady and determined effort.  Just as weeds often spring back to life after they have been chopped down, so corruption tends to re-emerge even after initial efforts to be rid of it seem to have worked.  Only a persevering effort can succeed against deeply rooted negative forces.
6. The image is of someone who has overcome adversity, and is ready to begin anew.  But beware – victories over destructive forces often create a lax attitude – and it is precisely such an attitude that allows such forces to reassert themselves.  Thoroughness is required when preparing new soil, so that the remnant seeds of past problems are not allowed to sprout up again.  When starting a new project after solving a problem, take care to see that any destructive tendencies in your personality are overcome or balanced at the beginning.