“Fire feeds on obstacles.” ~Marcus Aurelius~

I extinguished that fire in me years ago, in hope of exchanging it for security—as a high-schooler, I shunned cold, calculating rationality and welcomed a lifestyle of minimum-restraints in its stead. In my later college years I deliberately stifled all my passions and curbed my imagination, played it safe to the max.

It didn’t work out so well.

I should’ve known better than dismissing yin-yang dualism as mere mumbo-jumbo at short notice; progress seems to depend on the clash/combination of things that are really two sides of a coin: Evil and good. Lofty and practical. Rational and irrational. Creative and destructive. Courage and fear. Reasonableness and absurdity. Cosmos and chaos. Certainty and uncertainty. Embrace both sides; take whatever useful to support the cause worth fighting for, leave out the rest. Conquer all dread to advance.

Be idealistic in ambition yet pragmatic in execution.

Fight fear of the unknowns with utmost conviction—and benefit from it.

Indulge sorrows yet refrain from wallowing too long in its quagmire.

Rekindle that flame of passion as a phoenix does upon rising back from the ashes of despair.

Let the joy in living and facing challenges spread like wildfire and be shared to as many people as possible.

Burn all obstacles with sheer grit and pass the torch—pass down significant legacy for posterity.

May all beings be happy.

“Start with a small, intense fire.” Paul Graham, on building startups.