If I understood only one thing,
I would want to use it to follow the Tao.
My only fear would be one of pride.
The Tao goes in the level places,
but people prefer to take the short cuts.
If too much time is spent cleaning the house
the land will become neglected and full of weeds,
and the granaries will soon become empty
because there is no one out working the fields.
To wear fancy clothes and ornaments,
to have your fill of food and drink
and to waste all of your money buying possessions
is called the crime of excess.
Oh, how these things go against the way of the Tao!
The creative drive of Gaia is the dissipation of energy.
That is all I need to understand.
It is personal. It is internal.
It can only affect me; to rant against humanity is vanity.
If I spend my time fighting other human perceptions, it is a waste of time.
If I try to legislate climate control, it is a fool’s errand.
If I believe I am entitled, it is a crime.
If I believe I can take it with me, it is folly.
If I live as an example of simple dissipation.
Expecting no more, no less.
Only then will I obey the Law.
This is so well-said, concise.
ReplyDeleteHere be wisdom for many.
I need to go way back to early posts and reread forward now with this new format that separates o out TToT.
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhen I finish all 81 verses and rewrite/ edit them, I'm thinking of self-publishing a soft cover- the original Chinese characters and a translation on the left page- my interpretation on the right page.