Forty-Fifth Chapter
Forty-Fifth Chapter:
Tao-te Ching
What is most perfect seems to be incomplete;
but its utility is unimpaired.
What is most complete seems to be empty;
but its usefulness is inexhaustible.
What is most straight seems to be crooked.
The greatest skill seems to be clumsy.
The greatest eloquence seems to stutter.
Haste overcomes cold,
(But) tranquility overcomes heat.
By being greatly tranquil,
One is qualified to be the ruler of the world
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As I Understand It:
Stop seeing the world with ego coated eyes! (Here ego seems to mean an euphoric sense of self.)
When we exaggerate our self-worth, things that are whole seem incomplete. But when we see with the stillness within our hearts, what seemed awkward earlier looks perfect; what we heard as stutter, sounds eloquent.
We assess our world with a sweeping glace. We think our way of looking is sensible and our way is the right way. But what we see is superficial.
If we want to look beyond the surfaces we must connect the tranquility within us to the still space in others. This link will direct us to a new humanity. A new vision will unfold. What seemed improper or moronic will seem right, even sensible.
Continue to feel connected to that quiet place within. Draw it out. Feel it. Sense it. Let it dissolve within. Victory!
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Suggested Readings:
The Way of Lao Tzu, tr. Wing-Tsit Chan, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc. 1963.
Dyer, Wayne W., Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of Tao. Hay House, Inc. 2007.