Synergy. Cooperation. Sharing. Growth. These are a few of the values I’ve always held close in my Yixue 易學 work, training, and study. Much of what I do happens in solitude: quietly sitting with my nose in books, writing, translating, and researching a wide range of topics that I find meaningful and worth exploring.
To some extent, that’s exactly how I like it. There are endless rabbit holes to fall into when you investigate a Chinese character, unpack a principle from Wenwang Gua 文王卦, or sit with an enigmatic line from the Zhouyi 周易. But sooner or later, research wants to become something more than research. At a certain point, you want to bring insights out of their sources and beyond the theory that gave birth to them. Sharing discoveries with like-minded spirits is far more rewarding than keeping them to yourself — and, in my experience, whatever I study needs to be used, expanded, and tested by people who recognize its practical value.
In Johannes Bloemsma I’ve found exactly that kindred spirit.