The factors of decay are already latent in times of greatest prosperity, and a new lease of life starts to exist at a time when everything is in decay.
So, during peaceful and abundant times a man of virtue pays attention to the possibility of disaster striking. Conversely, during troubled times he redoubles his fortitude and maps out the course of his future success.
衰飒的景象就在盛满中，发生的机缄即在零落内；故君子居安宜操一片心以虑患，处变当坚百忍以图成。
Notes
Unity of opposites:
Flourishing and decay, decline and rebirth are not opposites but interdependent forces in constant transformation.
Proactive equilibrium:
Recognizing this cyclical inevitability, the noble prevents crisis in stability and persists through adversity.
This wisdom from Cai Gen Tan embodies dancing with cosmic rhythms — rejecting fatalistic passivity while asserting human agency. By harmonizing with nature’s cycles without surrendering effort, one masters life’s undulations.
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