Hexagram 6: Consultant
Image:
The sage sits on the mountain top - his feet do not touch the ground.
Judgement:
Through many years of experience, a programmer has climbed the mountain top. His opinion is revered and his blessings sought. However, change can pass him by. His vision is top down, so the details of the ten thousand things elude him, and pride has hardened his heart. The Wise One gathers both wisdom and foolishness at his feet, then discerns the difference.
Moving Lines:
- Line 6 -- Bad advice leads to error. Though the design was beautiful, it makes the system crash. The Wise One ignores the way of the sages and codes as he first planned. Only the fool tries to patch the bugs.
- Line 5 -- Seeking advice is as entering the lair of the dragon. Though he knows the truth, yet the sage accuses him of error. The Wise One prepares his arguments in advance, seeking to convince the sage of his answers. The fool sees error in wisdom.
- Line 4 -- Wisdom speaks as one, but the words of sages speak as ten thousand. When they dispute among themselves and can not agree, their advice is hollow. The Wise One knows when to ignore the words of men and listen to the voice of heaven.
- Line 3 -- The sage speaks in heaven, but code executes on earth. Though the design seems simple, it is difficult to code. The mountain threatens to blow up. The Wise One moves slowly and checks all assumptions. He knows false assurance causes delays in the end.
- Line 2 -- The mountain is hollow and provides no sure foundation. The sage sits not upon solid ground, but hot air. His words do not provide assurance of future progress. The Wise One thanks him for his foolishness and quietly descends the mountain. Only the fool accepts the design and tries to code.
- Line 1 -- There is confusion and ignorance below. The design is not sure and leads to error. Code that has shown with the splendor of ten thousand suns suddenly has errors that have lain hidden since the day of creation. The Wise One knows why error exists.
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Translator's Notes