Living By Bending...Being Flexible, Being Like Water

A man is born gentle and weak;
at his death he is hard and stiff
All things, including the grass and trees,
are soft and pliable in life;
dry and brittle in death.

Stiffness is thus a companion of death;
flexibility a companion of life.
An army that cannot yield
will be defeated.
A tree that cannot bend
will crack in the wind.

The hard and stiff will be broken;
the soft and supple will prevail

Yet another paradox of the Tao Te Ching as presented in Verse 76 and translated by Dr. Wayne Dyer. As Lao-tzu suggests, Be Strong by bending. As an analogy..be willing to be like palm trees in the midst of hurricane-force winds-their so called weakness somehow gives them the strength to survive devastating storms.

To apply to life think in terms of your thoughts and opinions, the more you relate to others and listen more, thus allowing your viewpoints to be challenged and bending when necessary, your in fact choosing strength and supple. This flexible nature will create more harmonious exchange between you and others. You will be in harmony with life and the nature of being.

Dr. Dyer in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey speaks of EGO and says

EGO = Edge God Out

Ego is the a collection of ideas that we carry around and include :
I am what I have (what happens if you lose everything)
I am what I do (what happens when you no longer can do)
I am what others think of me (think reputation)
I am separate from everyone else
I am separate from what is missing in my life
I am separate from God

My QUESTION (spurred by Dr. Dyer)
Is the EGO worth defending? Is it worth being right rather than being open, respectful, compassionate & benevolent towards others and remembering that we all come from the same place?

Personal Reflection:
This is a follow up to Ego and I am learning to see strength and flexibility from another way, another angle. I know I have often overlooked being flexible in life, in all ways for the purpose of being strong and firm. Now I am learning that I choose to be strong and flexible in all ways, creating a more harmonious flow between myself and all the encompasses life. As Bruce Lee says, Be Like Water! See yourself in everyone.

"No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves", Native American Saying

"Go through your life in a state of bewilderment", Rumi