The worst horse wins

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Apply this zen teaching to your writing and find the marrow of your words.

In Samyuktagama Sutra, it is said that there are four kinds of horses: excellent ones, good ones, poor ones, and bad ones. The best horse will run slow and fast, right and left, at the driver’s will, before it sees the shadow of the whip; the second best will run as well as the first one does, just before the whip reaches its skin; the third one will run when it feels pain on its body; the fourth will run after the pain penetrates to the marrow of its bones. You can imagine how difficult it is for the fourth one to learn how to run! — Excerpt From: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Then the books talk about how we always want to be the best horse, if that is not possible the second best horse and so on.

But as a writers you will find the worst horse is the most valuable one. In your very imperfections you will find the basis for your own unique voice that other people will follow you for. Your own experiences, your unique way of see things, your imperfect way of saying things.

You see, perfection is boring, humans are not perfect, no one is. If perfection existed, every gymnast at the Olympic Games would score a perfect 10, and that would be the end of it.

Those who find great difficulties writing will find more meaning in it. People don’t want perfectly polished, they want the raw unfiltered stuff. Sometimes the best horse may be the worst horse, and the worst horse can be the best horse.

If you want to know a way to show your imperfect writing to help other overcome their problems look here.

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