Nine Ways to Know People

Good beginning for women and men To know a person's nature: Nothing is harder to know than a person's nature.  For some are nice to you but steal from you, outwardly respectful while inwardly plotting, brave on the outside but cowardly on the inside, strong for themselves but weak for others, fast to talk but slow to act, supportive when you are beneath them but jealous when you have wings, kind but cunning, there with you but acting against you, talented but selfish.  To know thoughts: ask kind questions, share principled stories, permit debate; it is normal for the masses to hold different views and contention between different views is unavoidable, necessary and beneficial. In the course of normal and full debate, what is right, correct, and wrong will be affirmed, and gradually unanimity will be reached. To know good leadership:  watch a leader under pressure, courage; watch those who show people when to proceed and when to withdraw, regulation; array people on lines rightly and justly, order; show respect for people by sound judgments, competence; motivate people with rewards and penalties, trust; present facts, reason things out, and persuade through reasoning, not by coercion or force; watch those who avoid endless debates over side issues; those who treat all fairly and equally---no family favoritism. To judge able people: know if they begin with their own resources and means; guide with virtue; treat all equally with courtesy; face difficult tasks head on; are not influenced by profit; fight multifactedly, turn disaster into fortune and seize victory from defeat, are hesitant to engage in pettiness while courageous in the midst of major battles, uncomplicated yet unfathomable strategically, associates with the wise and promotes the able, is careful in how each day is spent, sincere and trustworthy, magnanimous, guarded in times of order as well as times of disturbance, is discreet yet perspective, rises early and retires late, wins before even entering battle. To judge enemies posing as friends: watch their work, care nothing of what they say.  Know those who form factions that band together for character assassination, false criticism, and vilification of the good; seek luxury in uniforms; tell wild tales about supernatural help to the helpless; they render judgment based on private views, and personal gain; make secret alliances with enemies, awaiting personal advantage.  They require distance, disassociation and more. To judge people: to know where they stand, question them concerning right and wrong; to see how they change, exhaust all their arguments; to know their intellect, consult them on strategy; to know bravery or cowardice, announce that there is trouble; to observe their nature, get them intoxicated; to know modesty or greed, present them with the prospect of gain; to know trustworthiness, give them tasks to be completed within a specific time. To judge teachers: see how they treat their own children when around the children of others. Watch their preparation.  View their library.  Study their lesson plans, curricula, and principles of pedagogy.  Know if they train in conduct and duty, loyalty and trustworthiness, rules and penalties, rewards and punishments, exercises and maneuvers. To judge misleaders: Watch their deeds: look for those who are insatiably greedy, jealous, envious, slanderous and friendly with the treacherous, assessors of others but not of self, hesitant and indecisive, addicted to intoxicants and sex, malicious lying and cowardly heart, wild talking without secrecy, pleased by favor and fearful of vilification. They will talk and not do. To judge authority: know if their punishments and rewards are clear, if not their directives will not be followed; if they allow those who should be punished to not be punished, treachery will not be prevented; if they allow those who should not be punished to be punished, good people will defect; if they get angry without discernible reason, the best will be on edge and affairs will be chaotic; if policies are sloppy, orders will not be obeyed; if private affairs are carried over into public life, people will be of two minds and the organization will be in danger; if treachery is allowed, it is impossible to last long.