Go with the Flow by Cho Hunhyun

Author:Cho Hunhyun [Hunhyun, Cho]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Influential Inc.,
Published: 2018-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

Give it Up

The ‘Ten Commandments’ in Go was compiled by Wang Jeoksin, a Kidaejo, or a servant designated to play Go with the emperor, to Emperor Xuanzong of Qing Dynasty, China. The 5th commandment says, ‘one shall not trade a dollar for a penny,’ meaning one shall enjoy bigger benefit by giving up small gain. There is also a four-character idiom related to Go that has the same message; ‘penny-wise and pound-foolish,’ which means ‘to incur a great loss by pursuing a small profit’.

If a respected individual advises people not to trade a dollar for a penny, everyone would say, “Of course, I will listen to you.” However, easier said than done. Giving up can be harder than expected when a small benefit comes into sight within a reachable distance. It is a shame that one may even lose the opportunity to gain larger profit by being caught up on a small one. How ‘penny-wise and pound-foolish!’

One must read the game as accurately as possible to avoid making such mistakes. Beginners often indulge in the fun of catching the opponent’s stones that they let the opponent to capture their large stone groups and conquer their territories. Such disposition maybe used by experienced players. Master players may let the beginners catch a few of their stones as a bait, the most common one being distracting them with the pleasure of Ponnuki, capturing the opponent’s stones with four stones. They will then quietly expand their territories while the beginners are still lost in Ponnuki.

The Ten Commandments primarily talks about the 6th commandment, ‘when in danger, abandon the stone’ tells one to give up the stones when at risk, and the 10th, ‘seek harmony when isolated’’ tells one to pursue a peaceful engagement rather than resisting and risking annihilation. The Ten Commandments sound like riddles and are too abstract even for me to have a thorough understanding of them, but time and again I find them to be very relevant in real life, too. The Ten Commandments taught me the wisdom of life, to let go trivial matters. There are times when surrendering or relinquishing bring unintended advantages and benefits in the future.

People have come to me making offers in unexpected ways; business proposals, appearance in commercial advertisement, and even a high-ranking position in an organization. All of them sounded great and promised significant benefits. But it did not feel right to willingly accept them because of the possible consequences they could have on my professional career and my reputation. I rejected most of them out of concern for their impact on my life-long achievement.

There were times, however, when I regretted not accepting the invitations to make a fortune or fame. They were very tempting and I am only human with many flaws. But I always looked back and told myself that I had done the right thing. No economic benefit could replace my love for Go. My gut feeling tells me that if I had those offers, I could have become disconnected from Go.

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