The great Way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths. Be aware when things are out of balance. Stay centered within the Tao. When rich speculators prosper While farmers lose their land; when government officials spend money on weapons instead of cures; when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible while the poor have nowhere to turn- all this is robbery and chaos. It is not in keeping with the Tao.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of following a balanced and harmonious path in life, aligning with the principles of the Tao.
Laozi suggests that the true path to a fulfilling life is straightforward and simple, yet many people go astray by choosing more complicated or misguided routes. He criticizes societal imbalances, such as wealth disparity and the misallocation of resources, urging individuals to remain centered and true to the Tao to achieve harmony and well-being.
In practice
In a discussion about environmental sustainability, one might say, 'As Laozi reminds us, the great Way is easy, but we must stay centered within the Tao to protect our planet.'
If you understand others you are smart._x000D_ If you understand yourself you are illuminated._x000D_ If you overcome others you are powerful._x000D_ If you overcome yourself you have strength._x000D_ If you know how to be satisfied you are rich._x000D_ If you can act with vigor, you have a will._x000D_ If you don't lose your objectives you can be long-lasting._x000D_ If you die without loss, you are eternal.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.
In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it.
Rule your mind with serenity rather than with force and manipulation.
Dawn came and matters were worse for it. Because now, emerging from the darkness, I could see, what before I had only felt, the great curtains of rain crashing down on me from towering heights and the waves that threw a path over me and trod me underfoot one after another.
Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.
The letter kills the spirit. The written text is mute in the face of responding challenge. It does not admit of inward growth and correction. Text subverts the absolutely vital role of memory.
Just as divine authority was legitimised by religious mythologies and human authority was legitimised by humanist ideologies, so high-tech gurus and Silicon Valley prophets are creating a new universal narrative that legitimises the authority of algorithms and Big Data.
The truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits.
If God was dead, how could I feel this bad?
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