M^ eng / Youthful Folly
above: K^ en Keeping Still, Mountain
below: K'an The Abysmal, Water
Nine at the top means:
In punishing folly
It does not further one
To commit transgressions.
The only thing that furthers
Is to prevent transgressions.
Sometimes an incorrigible fool must be
punished. He who will not heed will be made to feel. This punishment is
quite different from a preliminary shaking up. But the penalty should
not be imposed in anger; it must be restricted to an objective guarding
against unjustified excesses. Punishment is never an end in itself but
serves merely to restore order.
This applies not only in regard to education but also in regard to the
measures taken by a government against a populace guilty of
transgressions. Governmental interference should always be merely
preventive and should have as its sole aim the establishment of public
security and peace.