When Bravery Meets Bravery

“A thousand shots do not suffice when bosom friends meet; while half a sentence is considered too much when there is no meeting of the minds (酒逢知己千杯少，话不投机半句多).” This Chinese saying brings across the idea that one will never be bored in the company of like-minded people, but when you are with people whom you cannot see eye to eye, a word with them seems too much to be spoken.

Indeed, every friendship has its unspoken subtleties. The same goes for them…

He is from Singapore, while is he from the Netherlands;

He received an Asian education, while he received a Western education;

He is a fengshui master of his family lineage, while he is the heir of a century-old restaurant business,

He is imposing and serious, while he has a great sense of humour.

They are people from two different worlds and I believe there is a reason they met: bravery. Both of them have the guts to trust each other!

Why do I say it’s bravery and not courage? Is there a difference between them? Of course there is. Bravery is used when describing trying out something new, while courage is doing something you think viable and should be done. Therefore, there is this saying: sometimes bravery brings misgivings, but courage brings no regrets.  

Let’s put aside their differences and focus on their commonalities.

10 years ago, if Master Yun did not trust that Mr Kees had 20 clients awaiting his advice, would he had bought such an expensive air ticket to the Netherlands? (Master Yun had humble beginnings too, before arriving at what he has today.)

10 years ago, if Mr Kees did not believe that Master Yun could help in his business’s expansion, would he had his warehouse converted into a restaurant?

10 years ago, if Master Yun did not trust that Mr Kees was a sincere client, would he be having four beautiful galleries of Lotus on Water?

10 years ago, if Mr Kees did not believe Master Yun, would he be the Mr Kees who owns 2 hotels and 2 restaurants today?

How many decades do a person have? To be more specific, I mean “golden decade”. When we discuss “destiny (命运)”, we are actually looking at two separate concepts of ming 命 and yun 运. Ming refers to the fate brought about by the group of number representing the year, month, day and time of your birth, while yun refers to luck of every decade, multiple decades will make up many stages of your life. (This is why Master Yun looks at your bazi and presents his calculations in the form of decades.) Therefore, ming is something that we can “know”, but it is of no help to us. This is why at Lotus on Water, we only talk about yun (luck) and not ming.

How would Master Yun’s life be today if he was not brave enough to trust Mr Kees’s promise over the phone?

Would Mr Kees be so successful in life if he was not brave enough to trust Master Yun’s fengshui advice?

Just think about it, are you brave enough to take the first step with Lotus on Water?

-- Joo Yee, Assistant to Advisor

(Translated)