Virtues

This is a classic example of detachment, focus - doing one thing at a time and minimum distraction.

http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/08/the-taming-of-floods/

Extraction :-
The Legend

Five thousand years ago, the flooding by the Yellow River was so bad that the confederation of chieftains under the leadership of Yao （尧）decided to appoint Gun （鲧） to take charge of the fight against the flood.

When Yao abdicated out of old age to Shun （舜）, his successor continued to attach great importance to flood control. For nine years, Gun and his men built dams, dykes and barrages to try and stop the flow of the rivers, but these efforts only resulted in more disastrous floods and more destruction of lives and properties.

For his failure and the increased loss of lives, Gun suffered detention without trial on Plume Hill and he was incarcerated there until his death.

Shun then ordered Yü （禹）, who was Gun’s son, to carry on his father’s work of fighting the flood.

The Toil and Sacrifice

After a careful study of his father’s failures, Yü decided to abandon his father’s method of building dams and barrages to stop the flow of water. Instead, he attempted to divert water into the sea by digging ditches and canals and dredging the rivers. He even cut a canal into the Mount Long Men and other mountain ridges to achieve this.

For thirteen years, rain or shine, Yü and his men dug and carried away the soil. He suffered sunburn and poor nutrition. His muscles wasted and hair dropped off from his legs. But he continued to toil and persevere.

“Passing his own door three times and refusing to go in” (三过家门不入) is a popular Chinese saying and the story behind it is a tale of Yü ‘s dedication. When he was given the job, he had been married for only five days. During his thirteen years of fighting the flood, he passed by his home three times but refused to go in as he felt it would affect him in dealing with a public crisis. The first time he passed by, his wife was in labour and he heard the baby cried. The second time he passed by, the son was learning to walk and on the third time, his son was old enough to wave to him. Yet each time, Yü walked on, saying that as the flood was rendering countless people homeless, he could not rest in his own.

After thirteen years of engineering feat and exemplary determination and perseverance, he finally brought the floods under control.

Because of his achievement and selflessness, when Emperor Shun finally retired, he decided to pass the throne to Yü instead of his own son.

In the Book of History (书经) he said：

“Come, Yü. The inundating waters filled me with dread, when you realized all that you represented and accomplished your task, thus showing your superiority to other men. Full of toilsome earnestness in the service of the State, and sparing in your expenditure on your family, and this without being full of yourself or elated; you again show your superiority to other men. Without any prideful assumption, there is no one in the empire to contest with you the palm of ability; without any boasting, there is no one in the empire to contest with you the claim of merit. I see how great is your virtue, how admirable your vast achievements. The determinate appointment of Heaven rests on your person; you must eventually ascend the throne of the great sovereign.” (James Legge’s translation)

帝曰：「來！禹！降水儆予，成允成功，惟汝賢。克勤于邦，克儉于家，不自滿假，惟汝賢。汝惟不矜，天下莫與汝爭能；汝惟不伐，天下莫與汝爭功。予懋乃德，嘉乃丕績，天之歷數在汝躬，汝終陟元后。

My View
Yu is someone who has only one focus, to get rid of the flood. He detached himself from any emotions which led to no distraction that can slow down his task. He knows the outcome of his task and work tirelessly to achieve it. Hence to be successful, once a goal has been determined and felt, one must minimized distractions, detached from any distractions that can slow down one's progress.

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