Hair-splitting

The ability to split hairs and discern which hairs are worth splitting requires a high degree of acumen and an astute mind to tear the wheat of wisdom from the chaff of mediocrity.

It is just a heart-beat's distance to move from useful hairsplitting to destructive fault-finding.

The pedant's task is weighed down by the responsibility of precision yet paradoxically rewarded by the levity of clarity.

There are three levels:
1 - the realm of fine-tuning - subtle phenomena - poetry of precision
2 - the realm of practical achievement - manifestation of desire - walking the path
3 - the realm of slovenly mass - cesspit of energy - the soil of raw material

Each dimension is important and different people specialise at working at different levels. In the example of pottery, we need to dig the clay, to shape the design, then sculpt the detail. In the example of poetry, we need to take the words, write the story, then tweak the work to increase its beauty.

Too much emphasis in one realm may lead to an unhealthy disposition. Though some may be specialised in hair-splitting, they need to be restrained from spending too long tuning the car, otherwise it will never be ready to drive - and that is its purpose, after all.