Week 7, Verse 8
The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.
In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.
---
It occurs to me that I tend to focus a lot on the parts of these versus that are about not doing - not comparing or competing, not trying to nourish, not trying to control. Isn't the Tao all about practicing not-doing?
Well, yes, but - no. The Tao is about everything. It's the melding of left- and right-hand paths. The actor is as good as the meditator, the sinner as good as the saint, the strong, the weak, the beautiful, the ugly, the yin and the yang, all part of the same flow. You fit into the flow best when you are content to be simply yourself, however that may be.
Sometimes I need to remember that as water flows and nourishes, it never loses itself. It changes, shifts, seeps into other things, fills whatever places are made for it - but it doesn't forget that it is water. It doesn't forget that it can carve its own places, with time and patience. It is good at flowing into all things, but it is also good at being itself.
Sometimes I try so hard to flow and be content with the low places that people disdain, I forget to be content to be simply myself.
So this week, instead of focusing on the actions I shouldn't take, let's focus on the ones I should. The Tao is action.
Live close to the ground. Keep to the simple. Be fair and generous. Don't try to control. Do what you enjoy. Be completely present. Be simply yourself.
Sounds good to me.
which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.
In dwelling, live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.
When you are content to be simply yourself
and don't compare or compete,
everybody will respect you.
---
It occurs to me that I tend to focus a lot on the parts of these versus that are about not doing - not comparing or competing, not trying to nourish, not trying to control. Isn't the Tao all about practicing not-doing?
Well, yes, but - no. The Tao is about everything. It's the melding of left- and right-hand paths. The actor is as good as the meditator, the sinner as good as the saint, the strong, the weak, the beautiful, the ugly, the yin and the yang, all part of the same flow. You fit into the flow best when you are content to be simply yourself, however that may be.
Sometimes I need to remember that as water flows and nourishes, it never loses itself. It changes, shifts, seeps into other things, fills whatever places are made for it - but it doesn't forget that it is water. It doesn't forget that it can carve its own places, with time and patience. It is good at flowing into all things, but it is also good at being itself.
Sometimes I try so hard to flow and be content with the low places that people disdain, I forget to be content to be simply myself.
So this week, instead of focusing on the actions I shouldn't take, let's focus on the ones I should. The Tao is action.
Live close to the ground. Keep to the simple. Be fair and generous. Don't try to control. Do what you enjoy. Be completely present. Be simply yourself.
Sounds good to me.