Wu Yue said, “The small man seeks wealth.
The superior man seeks renown. They differ
in the way they frame their mind and transform
their nature. However, as they both cast away
what they possess in pursuit of what they lack,
they are alike.

Hence it is said, ‘Do not be a small man; return
to fulfill your nature endowed by heaven.
Do not be a superior man; follow the path
set forth by heaven within you.

     Be it bent or straight, regard
all in the light of heaven within you.
       Look from every direction
   and abide in what time signifies
         within your endeavors.

Be it right or wrong, be resolute
in sustaining the equilibrium within.
Standing on your own manifest your will.
reflect on the right path,
Do not turn and depart from your way;
do not try to complete your righteousness.

You will fail in your aim.
Do not rush about to become wealthy.
Do not pursue your own perfection
lest you lose the nature endowed by heaven’.

Zhuangzi trans. by Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, Book 27 Robber Zhi

I am near the conclusion of the Zhuangzi. This segment, Book 27 contains several case studies of character. This one is in the form of an exhortation. Not unlike a commencement address, a monologue in a ritual setting.

So you’d prefer to dress well, drive about in a Mercedes and dine at the best restaurants? All the accoutrements of the superior man are in play… Don’t bother advises Wu Yue. Superior aspiration is no different than that of a blue collar 9 to 5 hourly worker. Both fail to take note of the capacity which nature has endowed them. Though high and low what is desired, the frame-of-mind differs, each quests for the missing element which will earn accolades from their peers. What others think matters.

Our species is social. We’d not survive without others, let alone flourish. My teachers, those who tutored me in a host of on-the-job-training opportunities contributed to the sense of self that reflects, and is reflected upon at present. I owe them! Still, there’s always that quiet vector, a disposition, a taste, the inclination for certain areas of endeavor within myself. Is that “the light of heaven”? I cannot be certain. After all there is no certificate of authenticity, and one must follow the path, in order to know.

Look in all four directions advises the taoist master. One direction alone isn’t enough. What opportunities come my way? Will I extend myself, to learn what I can in the course of each project?

And, he emphasizes, paradoxically I should expect to fail! The usual obvious measures of success shouldn’t be a direct focus, only a timely, day-to-day abiding in the endowment transmitted by heaven.

A journey wherein one has, always and already arrived…

Final thought: the endowment from heaven for you need not be like a shaft of sunlight piercing storm clouds. Maybe less dramatic, similar to the flame of a candle?