Verse Five

Heaven and Earth have no preference.

- They exist without desire or choice.

Application: As an individual, I am not heaven or earth because I have preferences. To understand their points of view, I would have to purge my desires.

A man may choose one over another but to Heaven and Earth all are the same. The high, the low, the great, the small--all are given light, all get a place to rest.

- In a world of individuals, there is choice, but there is no choice when all is one.
- All are created equal and they return equal
- Choice is the gift of individuality--free will

Application: I should celebrate my individuality by making good choices for myself. My choices define myself apart from others. But I must not forget that my choices do not matter to unity or God. When I join unity or God, all my choices disappear.

The Sage is like Heaven and Earth. To him none are especially dear nor is there anyone he disfavors. He gives and gives without condition offering his treasure to everyone.

- There is no love but the love for all
- Agape and no individual love, which requires a choice and preference
- When one loves all, one can give all
- Since he is a part of everyone, his treasure is "shared" rather than "given."
- When one has no possessions, one has no material treasure to give.

Application: This is difficult for me or any married or engaged person because a choice and preference has been made in love. I cannot always love all without loving her a little bit more. In times of meditation, this is possible. But in my waking everyday life, my love becomes selective and scaled. This makes me an individual and defines who I am. If I really wanted to obtain the status of a Sage, I would have to shed all preferences which means treating all friends and family the same as total strangers--in a good way. I'm not prepared for this, and I don't think I want to be at this moment.

The universe is like a bellows--It stays empty yet is never exhausted. It gives out yet always brings forth more.

- Another analogy of the importance of empty space, the invisible connection
- The connecting space gives out and brings forth new relationships
- Emptiness shifts and fluently changes

Application: Before I discovered Taoism, I have been aware of the nature of change and the shifting of relationships. These two matters should not cause anxiety because that is the way of things. For most things, change does not worry me. As an optimist, I believe something good will come out of the worst changes (like 9/11). As a pessimist, I believe something bad will come out of the best changes (new job). Nature tends to balance things out, so I never expect any good or bad thing to last forever.

Man is not like this. When he blows out air like a bellows, he becomes exhausted. Man was not made to blow out air. He was made to sit quietly and find the truth within.

- Space flows within and without us.
- The more passive we are, the more nature can influence us and reveal its path.
- We are not meant to act, but allow actions to act upon us.

Application: I see this as the struggle between our individuality and unity. It's a power struggle. If I foresee something about to happen, and I try my best to control the outcome--that is my individuality struggling against unity or nature. And it's a losing struggle. It's better for me not to act aggressively. This doesn't mean do nothing. It means try but without anxiety. Anxiety will only effect the outcome negatively. The feeling of anxiety is the feeling of the individual in a losing struggle against nature. Once I recognize this, it is easier to calm down.