Halftime

I have written and discussed half of the verses from the Tao Te Ching and will take an extensive break from it as I am about to embark on some drastic life changes. I will resume with the second half of the Tao Te Ching as soon as I am settled and have as much free time as I did before. For the time being, hold on. It will return.

Verse Forty-one

When the best seeker hears of Tao, he strives with great effort to know it. When an average seeker hears of Tao, he thinks of it now and again. When the poorest seeker hears of Tao, he laughs out loud.

- Unity interests those who are especially seeking universal truth.
- If one is not interested in truth, then the message is silly.

Application: This reminds me of the Sufi saying, "Teach to those according to their understanding." We shouldn't talk about Taoism or Sufism to those who don't want to hear it. I find myself a seeker these days, so I approach both ways of life with an open mind. I have found extraordinary similarities between the two. The same goes for Quakerism which I have recently come across.

Tao is always becoming what we have need for it to become. If it could not do this, it would not be Tao.

- Unity obeys the needs of all
- If unity obeyed only individuals, then it would not function.

Application: Tao has become what I have need for it to become. The flexibility of the philosophy is what appeals to me. Rigidity in religion is either short-lived or doesn't apply to all people, and that's why most popular religions do no appeal to me.

There is an old saying, the clear way seems clouded, the straight way seems crooked, the sure way seems unsteady.

- Things are not always what they appear.
- If fact, they can appear as their opposite.

Application: This could be interpreted as "beware of false prophets," in which the loudest preachers seem right whereas the quiet ones do not. Usually the forceful or hypnotic prophet is only interest in self-promotion rather than global illumination. The right message always come from a person who is passive and flexible like the Tao itself.

The greatest power seems weak. The purest white seems tainted. The abundant seems empty. The stable seems shaky. The certain seems false. The Great Square has no corners. The Great Vessel is never filled.

A beginner may be clumsy, but after practice--what talent! A large drum may sit silently, but when banged--what noise! Tao lies hidden, yet alone it is the glorious light of this world.

- When one grasps the Tao, then its purpose and function is revealed.
- When one cannot grasp it, it lies hidden and dormant.

Application: I believe I have found the Tao in open-minded meditation, where I found myself understanding everyone including my enemies, and that brought upon love for them. That reminded my of Jesus saying, "Love your enemies." It was then when I totally realized what he meant. The thing is I cannot reveal the Tao to others because it is hidden and is only found through personal insight. Know thyself in order to love your enemies.

Verse Forty

The movement of Tao is to return. The way of Tao is to yield.

- The process of unity is cyclical.
- Even though the cycle is passive, it never stops.

Application: I believe in the cyclical process of nature. I don't believe in the linear concept of life from birth to death. I have seen cycles in everything from good times to hard times. Life is not over when we die, is what I'm getting at. But "heaven" isn't permanent either. There is no permanence except Tao or unity or God or the universe or whatever you'd like to call It.

Heaven, Earth, and all things are born of the existent world. The existent world is born of the nothingness of Tao.

- Individuals are born into the known world
- The known world comes from the unknown and hidden unity

Application: I am beginning to believe that the "stuff" of God is in the emptiness and hidden. God is in silence, the space between objects, the love between relationships, the emptiness of outer space, etc. All that "stuff" is permanent as opposed to the noise, the objects, the relationships, and the physical contents of the universe. This is becoming my worldview.

Is it dada?

Admission!

This dinosaur of a champion has a time-honored bone eater to replace his can. Every fifth invention receives bigger bonuses due to the inflation we see fit to grow faster and quicker. Roses have grown in your honor and we know why. It’s how the runners stop in time to feed the grass. Right now, someone can hear another one chopping an onion. Chop! Chop! It doesn’t take much to imagine someone’s eyes watering from the seething edges of a freshly cut onion. I myself prefer the leek, that underrated vegetable growing so nearby.

I had asked for your attention prior, but apparently you had lent it to a flea-bitten mutt. Dogs have too much of everyone’s attention anyway. I find them disturbing my peaceful sleep and dirtying my neighbor’s lawn. Your attention had been asked by me for reasons unknown to you and most of the royal court. Now it is time for me to uncover that reason in a poem.

Slither, slither, a snail in a snake
Just how long to the tail will it take?

Yes, misters. I’ve witnessed a snake devour a whole snail, but this was no ordinary situation. You see, I wasn’t in my garden or any garden FOR THAT MATTER. The snake had somehow acquired bipedal locomotion (don’t ask me how) and went into a French Restaurant. That bizarre scene caused me too to become a connoisseur of that very restaurant. The snake orders a plate of snail…one snail…just one snail. And I must add that the gastropod was still living and breathing when the snake gormandized it. The Gormandized Gastropod: oh, how I say what a riot it was. Just then I started worrying about the poor snail and how he would meet his end.

Thank for your persnicketiness! And watch out for the wicked for they shall pick at your bones.


Artlessly,

Margrave Rachel Sedgewick

Verse Thirty-nine

From ancient times till now, the One has been the source of all attainments. By realizing the One, Heaven becomes clear, Earth becomes still, spirits gain power, and hearts fill up with joy. By realizing the One, kings and lords become instruments of peace and all creatures live joyfully upon this earth. Without the One, Heaven has no clarity and would crack, Earth has no peace and would crumble, spirits have no power and would lose their charm. Without the One, hearts would dry up, empires would fall, all things would go lifelessly upon this Earth.

- Unity is the source of life.
- When one embraces unity, the power of life rushes in and a sense of peace prevails
- When one denies unity, he is at odds with the perceived world

Application: With all this chaos around the world, it is easy to perceive who has not realized the One. If you do not realizing the One, your goals are selfish and only lead to suffering. I can see this in myself when my goals are selfish. We just have to learn to relax.

Long ago kings and lords called themselves "orphaned," "lonely," and "unworthy." What honor can there be without humility? What heights can be reached without being low?

- A humble position delivers an honorable position.
- When down, the goal is up.
- When up, there is no believable progress.

Application: This is why certain people and institutions gain no respect--they are lacking in humility. I notice this in myself when I'm feeling on top of the world, that people don't like it when I tell them all of my good news without humility. Why do you need support when you have everything else you need? When this happens, the support is taken out from under and how quickly the mighty have fallen. This applies to a personal as well as a national level.

The pieces of a chariot are useless unless they work in accordance with the whole. A man's life brings nothing unless he lives in accordance with the whole universe. Playing one's part in accordance with the universe is true humility.

- To find one's purpose in life, one needs a universal perspective
- A self-serving life yields no rewards

Application: When I finally realized the Tao through contemplation, I gave up my old childhood dreams of becoming famous. I don't care to be famous or materially wealthy. If I do what is in accordance with nature, I will inherit the wealth of the universe. It feels great not to strive for such selfish dreams as fame and fortune.

So whether you're a gem in the royal court or a stone on the common path, if you accept your part with humility, the glory of the universe will be yours.

- Once you've found your calling, happiness is yours.
- No matter your path, it serves another person.

Application: This has caused me to step back from politics. My calling is not to agitate or stir up people for socialist reasons. I believe nature will take care of us more than people can. The less interference from human authority the better. Nature and people won't stand for it. If you don't believe this now, you will soon enough.

Verse Thirty-eight

To give without seeking reward, to help without thinking it is virtuous--therein lies great virtue. To keep account of your actions, to help with the hope of gaining merit--therein lies no virtue.

- Do things for the present, not for the future
- Always give and help when you can without thought of reward or disadvantage

Application: This is tremendously difficult for me at times. Sometimes I can do while others I cannot. It's a mood thing. Somedays I feel more helpful than others. I need to find out how to stay in that helpful mood. Another is helping "takers," people who never or rarely give in return. Nature has a way of always giving in return, I must remind myself. It may not be directly from the "takers." Then there's that argument that I'm being taken advantage of. Where did that argument originate? Is it cultural?

The highest virtue is to act without a sense of self. The highest kindness is to give without condition. The highest justice is to see without preferences.

- Lack of labeling other individuals is virtuous
- Seeing all as on helps to benefit all

Application: Here's the solution to my problem. I'm being selfish when not wanting to help or expecting something in return. I am just part of the whole scheme of things. Helping is always more important than what I am doing unless it's helping another person in greater need. I can do this when I'm employed, but I need to do it more often when I'm working. I have to change my perception of "not working." I'm obligated to help at work under contract. But I'm also obligated to help in life under nature. There are rewards for both.

When Tao is lost, one must learn the rules of virtue. When virtue is lost, the rules of kindness. When kindness is lost, the rules of justice. When justice is lost, the rules of conduct. And when the high-blown rules of conduct are not followed, people are seized by the arm and it is forced on them. The rules of conduct are just an outer show of devotion and loyalty--quite confusing to the heart. And when men rely on these rules for guidance--Oh, what ignorance abounds!

- Rules are for those without Tao, a sense of virtue, kindness, and justice.
- Blindly following rules does not make one virtuous, kind, or just.
- Rules attempt to force individuals as one
- External motivation towards unity is fruitless

Application: Doing the right thing according to nature is something that is found within. The wisest and most virtuous person is internally motivated to do good. Most people can distinguish good laws from bad laws, but we must follow them both. But when are faced with a conflict of breaking the law to do something good or obeying the law to allow something bad, then we must define "good" and "bad." For me, doing something good is doing something selfless and doing something bad is doing something selfish. The more people that benefit from my actions the greater the deed and the more people that lose from my actions the worse the deed. I feel as if I could go on forever, but I prefer to do in person as a debate or argument.

The great master follows his own nature and not the trappings of life. It is said, "He stays with the fruit and not the fluff. He stays with the firm and not the flimsy. He stays with the true and not the false."

- Following nature of unity is superior to following the rules of people
- Harmony is found when they do not conflict

Application: Purposely breaking the rules of people causes more problems than solutions. I'm not one who often breaks rules, but I would if the rules conflicted with my own morality. To give details would require me to give political examples, but I will refrain as this is a more spiritual platform. A book that I'm currently reading that does a good job describing this matter is Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You. That book falls in line with the Tao in many ways.

Lady's Angelic Men

Berthold Dalyrimple, a stockholder in several of the world’s leading fish markets.

Gordon Trask, inventor of superpolymer 171 and mountain bicycle race champion of the world in 1991 and 1996.

Ernest Hennington, all around relaxed man who happened to save 7 POWs from Vietnamese and Lebanese prison camps in the early 1980s.

These are the 3 men “Lady” has deemed “Angelic,” but only one of these titled men may share a bed with “Lady.” We now urge you citizens of New England and the North Atlantic region of the United States to assist her in such a matrimonial decision.

Please fill out the following (brief) form:
I, _____________, from _________, __ have decided that Angelic Man, _________, is the right man to lay down with “Lady” because of the following 3 small reasons. 1)__________, 2)___________, 3)_________
And one more lengthy reason with a minimum word count of 250. (attach the pages).
I have made the decisions rightly because my background is a highly reputable one.
For example, I go to church __ times a month.
In my prayers, I included such people in my prayers.
1)____________
2)____________
3)____________
4)____________ and other people close to my heart.
Of all the human virtues, I consider the top two attributes to be the most enduring:
1)_______________ & 2)________________
___% of my income is put towards charity per ___day(s)
Besides God, Jesus Christ, and all the Saints, I find the following historical figures to be the most upright in our world’s history: 1)_____________, 2)_____________
3)_______________, 4)_____________
My most treasured material possession in my house is __________ because _________________________.

Verse Thirty-seven

Tao does not act yet it is the root of all action. Tao does not move yet it is the source of all creation.

- All individuals emerge from unity
- All perceptions emerge from the hidden

Application: Here Tao sounds like God. Instead of an active God who judges, rewards, and punishes, he is a passive God. I have adopted this viewpoint of God as one who is the source but not necessarily the controller. So I believe in free will.

If princes and kings could hold it, everyone under them would naturally turn within. Should a doubt or old desire rise up, the Nameless Simplicity would push it down. The Nameless Simplicity frees the heart of desire and reveals its inner silence.

- When the powerful grasp the truth, they lose their power
- One goal of unity is to remove desire from the individual

Application: Here I noticed the mutual exclusivity of truth and worldly power. As the Bible states, the truth will set you free. Most individuals prefer a quest of power than a quest of truth, and that is unfortunate. I think there is a time in everyone's life in which he or she sees the two paths--truth or power--and can foresee the results of both. Worldly power brings worldly glory and that seems much more appealing than truth which brings peace. I'd like to be on the path of truth and I hope my line of work is in harmony with it.

When there is silence one finds peace. When there is silence one finds the anchor of the universe within himself.

- The cessation of perceptions brings one to unity
- Without perception, one perceives unity
- When the individual no longer sees the external, he sees the internal

Application: I am currently reading some Quaker literature, and there is a strong likeness between this part of verse 37 and Quaker ideology. This is evidence that one can be both Christian and Taoist. So one does not need to veer away from Christ to grasp Taoism. My discovery of Quakerism was a pleasant one.

Verse Thirty-six

Contraction pulls at that which extends too far. Weakness pulls at that which strengthens too much. Ruin pulls at that which rises too high. Loss pulls at that which you fill it with too much stuff.

- What goes up must come down.
- Moderation is better than excess.
- Too much of anything is never good.

Application: For some things, I am good at practicing moderation. But for others, I go to extremes like worrying about work or only drinking water. I believe I should avoid addictive things because they only lead you to extreme consumption. With everything else I should practice moderation. This leads me to question if anxiety is addictive.

The lesson here is called "The wisdom of obscurity" -- the gentle outlast the strong, the obscure outlast the obvious. Hence, a fish that ventures from deep water is soon snagged by a net. A country that reveals its strength is soon conquered by an enemy.

- Aggressive individuals burn out faster.
- Those that do not attract attention last longer.
- To live long requires quiet passivity.

Application: I do not have a desire to live long nor do I desire to live short. In many situations, I try to remain passive or obscure. But I am in a career that demands attention from students and peers. I have to find a balance in which I do not seek attention but can remain respected with passive authority. Hmm...

Advertising for RC

Whether you're up or whether you're down
It's a good time to drink some Royal Crown

If you're from the city or out of town
It's about time for some Royal Crown

If you can't fit into your wedding gown
Relax and taste refreshing Royal Crown

If you're feeling serious or like a clown
Double the intensity with Royal Crown

If you're skin color is white, black, or brown
The right drink for you is Royal Crown

Question: What is an example of a proper noun?
Answer: The name of the beverage Royal Crown.

Coke and Pepsi will make you drown
Not like the fabulous Royal Crown

The False Rhymes...
If you can't afford to gain another pound
Have a little sip of Royal Crown

When you find yourself thirst-quenching bound
Drink yourself silly with a liter of Royal Crown

If the key to your happiness hasn't been found
That means you've never tried our Royal Crown

What's the cola with the fizziest sound?
It's RC, also known as Royal Crown

Don't drink water like your hound
Be a human and drink Royal Crown

Do you know how your friend unwound?
She enjoyed 8 ounces of Royal Crown.

What's that drink that making rounds?
It's bottle after bottle or Royal Crowns.

When you find yourself on the pitcher's mound
Throw a strike after drinking Royal Crown.

What's that pirate got hidden underground?
It's a treasure chest full of Royal Crown.

Do you know why you friend has frowned?
You finished off her last Royal Crown.

Verse Thirty-five

Hold fast to the Great Form within and let the world pass as it may. Then the changes of life will not bring pain but contentment, joy, and well-being.

- Awareness of unity keeps an individual confident through change
- When one cannot have what is external, one muse secure what is internal

Application: During this year in my life, I have been the most fearful of changes because it's the first time that I have something to lose. I have to teach myself to stop grasping on to what I have to lose. More changes have brought pain than not, so this is definitely something I need to work on.

Music and sweets are passing pleasures yet they cause people to stop. How bland and insipid are the things of this world when one compares them with Tao! One tastes, but the sweetness turns bitter. One sees, but the colors grow faint. One hears, but the sound fades into silence.

- Unified perception outshines individual perception
- Like the individual himself, what is perceived is temporary.
- We enjoy the pleasures of our senses because they remind us of our fleeting lives.

Application: I am guilty in finding pleasure in both music and sweets, but music is what causes me to stop. Fortunately it's the music that helps bring me to the Tao. So when the sound fades into silence I still have the Tao. Not a bad trade off.

One may look for fulfillment in this world but his longings will never be exhausted. The only thing he ever finds is that he himself is exhausted.

- The chief Buddhist tenet of desire causing suffering.
- The length of life often depends on the strength of desire.
- Enjoyment is not desire but contentment with the present.

Application: At this point in my life, I can wholeheartedly agree with finding myself exhausted after longing for a better life. Life hasn't been too enjoyable because I'm not living in the moment. My head is in the future too much that the present slips away.

Verse Thirty-four

The great Tao flows everywhere. It fills everything to the left and to the right. All things owe their existence to it and it cannot deny any one of them.

- We are all part of unity.
- There is no escaping it.

Application: I know this.

Tao is eternal. It does not favor one over the other. It brings all things to completion without their even knowing it.

- All are treated equally.
- Things get done whether or not individuals participate.

Application: I know all are treated equally, but sometimes I forget that things will get done whether I do something or not. Sometimes things get done without me even trying. On the other hand, sometimes things never get done when I try my hardest.

Tao nourishes and protects all creatures yet does not claim lordship over them. So we class it with the most humble. Tao is the home to which all things return yet it wants nothing in return. So we call it "The Greatest."

- It is the self-sustaining source
- Everyone is protected because we are all one

Application: I know this yet I worry about the planet. Nature takes care of herself. If something gets out of hand, she deals with it. We don't have to intervene unless we thing we are part of the problem, which nature will deal with.

The Sage is the same way--He does not claim greatness over anything. He's not even aware of his own greatness. Tell me, what could be greater than this?

- Humility is greatness
- One should use his greatness passively

Application: I try to be humble, but am I trying to be humble to be great? I shouldn't. These past few months have been a very humbling experience, so at this moment in my life I can say that I claim greatness over nothing. But I do not think myself as a sage.

New Japanese Planets

Radio House Kingdom
in connection with…
The National Telescopic Astronomy Administration
funded by NHK and NTT
have jointly discovered 14 new planets outside our Japanese solar system

Planet One is New Tokyo with the highest real estate in the universe
Planet Two is The Planet that Says Ni! Because Ni means Two in Japanese
Planet Three was lost when Okabe-san bumped into the telescope
(it will soon be located under ExxonMobil funding though,
so please visit their homepage at www.killearth.com)
Planet Four is already inhabited by dogs. We’re waiting for a suitable name for that planet.
Planet Five was claimed by Pink Floyd and David Bowie to hold their new recording studio
Planet Six is so close to Planet Seven that we don’t know which is which
Planet Six will be the only planet in which racism will be encouraged
Planet Seven is where Earth will store all its toxic waste
Planet Eight is TOP SECRET c/o US GOVERNMENT
Planet Nine is Hubbell II: The Telesphere
Planet Ten actually is Pluto (we made a mistake)
Planet Eleven is completely made of gold and was found to have the Microsoft logo on it
Planet Twelve is for Japanese tourists only for authenticity’s sake
Planet Thirteen has been deemed Satan’s Lair of Doom by the Roman Catholic Church
Planet Fourteen is the last planet found so we don’t have enough information on it yet

Verse Thirty-three

One who knows others is intelligent. One who knows himself is enlightened.

- Establishing relationships is healthy but self-awareness is healthier.
- The weakest link in a network of people is the one who doesn't know himself well.

Application: I'm afraid I may know myself better than I know others. Knowing myself and observing others has helped me understand others indirectly.

One who conquers others is strong. One who conquers himself is all-powerful.

- Enemies in person are weaker than enemies of the mind
- Finding mental peace is more difficult than finding international peace

Application: I agree that what makes me weak is what is in my head. I believe all international strife is caused by a few powerful people who do not have mental peace. If only they would...

One who approaches life with full force surely gets something. One who remains content where he is surely gets everything.

- A narrow focus yields small rewards
- A wider focus yields greater rewards
- In order to recieve, one must be passive

Application: This year I've often found myself in situations where my focus is very narrow and I forget the big picture. The results were just like this part of verse 33--small rewards. My problem is forgetting the bigger picture, the wider focus. Only when I'm content do I see the big picture. In times of stress, I cannot keep it well. This is what I must work on.

One who gives himself to his position surely lives long. One who gives himself to Tao surely lives forever.

- An individual goal lasts shorter than a unifying goal
- Serving unity gets one further than serving individuals

Application: During the past few years, I have been giving myself to my position as a teacher. My desire is to give myself to "Tao," but my fear of letting go of my position prevents me from doing so. I'm currently trying to find a synthesis of the two. I've had little or no success.

Verse Thirty-two

Tao is eternal, one without a second. Simple indeed yet so subtle that no one can master it. If princes and kings could just hold it, all things would flock to their kingdom. Heaven and Earth would rejoice with the dripping of sweet dew. Everyone would live in harmony, not by official decree, but by their own inner goodness.

- The problem with peace is that we are individuals.
- To achieve worldwide peace requires everyone to let go of their selfish individuality
- What binds us to life is the individualistic desire to survive
- Peace cannot be enforced

Application: I realize the sad truth about bring about world peace. As long as someone is looking for power, there will be none. But peace comes to us as we leave our individuality. And peace is within us. Searching for peace outside of us in an individualistic world is pointless. I no longer believe that world peace can be achieved through war or political change. It can only be achieved through personal and spiritual change.

The world is nothing but the glory of Tao expressed through different names and forms. One who sees the things of this world as being real and self-existent has lost sight of the truth. To him, every word becomes a trap, every thing becomes a prison.

- Everything is already unified
- It is the perception of the individual which divides and categorizes
- We live in the world we perceive
- Reality is relative

Application: I have realized that when I think of the world, I usually think of the man-made world instead of the natural world. For example, I think of nations and cultures. I also think of cities and cars. All of that is not the world really. It is the product of our selfishness. When I think of the world I must think of it as humans, animals, plants, oceans, rivers, mountains, etc. The natural world recycles itself. Man-made world does not, but nature always finds a way.

One who know the truth that underlies all things lives in this world without danger. To him, every word reflects the universe, every moment brings enlightenment.

- Fear dissolves as individuality dissolves.

Application: I can make all of my fears, anxieties, and desires go away as soon as stop thinking of myself as an individual and start thinking of myself as unified with the whole.

Rivers and streams are born in the ocean. All creation is born of Tao. Just as all water flows back to become the ocean. All creation flow back to become Tao.

- The water cycle as a metaphor for life.
- Water is life, both have essence.

Application: I believe that the natural world is cyclical and the artificial world is linear. Once we die all our artificial constructs are destroyed including our individuality but our natural constructs are recycled as our bodies return to the earth and our souls return to Unity.

People Who Have Upset the Apple Cart...

Eat meat at night
Drink champagne in the daylight
Play mind games with children
Sing to marigolds between their toes
Call late at night just to say “Hello”
Roll the dice sideways
Stand on their heads
Duke it out on Sundays
Call “lunch” + “dinner” = “dunch” or “linner”
Use machines towards their own advantage
Ditch their friends for the day’s last train
Tell too many Polish jokes
Bus their own tables
Smoke Lucky Strike cigarettes
Dance naked alone in front of their neighbor’s rose gardens
Dial direct from overseas
Smell like pine tree sap

Verse Thirty-one

Even the finest warrior is defeated when he goes against natural law. By his own hand he is doomed and all creatures are likely to despise him.

- Going against nature causes great antagonism
- Fighting nature brings self-defeat

Application: I never consciously put myself against nature, and I hope I never do.

One who knows Tao never turns from life's calling. When at home he honors the side of rest. When at war he honors the side of action. Peace and tranquility are what he holds most dear so he does not obtain weapons. But when their use is unaviodable he employs them with fortitude and zeal.

- Only when needed does one need to be put to work
- One should remain still until called to a task
- When put to work, full concentration can be put into it

Application: This has been a little difficult for me because it's hard to remain still for such a prolonged period of time. I must try to keep my mind still. There's no problem keeping my body still. If there's nothing to worry about, I shouldn't worry.

Do not flaunt your excellence. Do not rejoice over victory. With the loss of others weep with sorrow and grief. After winning a battle do not celebrate, observe the rites of a funeral.

- There is no victory without loss
- A celebration insults others and encourages ill feelings
- Excellence is a result and not an end of focus and skill

Application: I try not to gloat unless it is harmless. Most gloating or celebration of victory looks foolish as time goes by. Celebrating in spite of others is worse than losing because it encourages ill feelings. I haven't done this seriously since I was a child. And it is a childish act.

One who is bound to action, proud of victory, and delights in the misfortune of others will never gain a thing from this world below Heaven.

- A boastful braggart will gain no more than what he had
- When one sticks to the task at hand without expectations, then living brings reward

Application: This part of verse 31 sound like the aspirations of a politician. This is why I have no desire to enter politics--its seems like evil versus evil. No matter who wins we all lose. True democracy is the solution to this. Where is it?

Verse Thirty

Those who rule in accordance with Tao do not use force against the world. For that which is forced is likely to return-- Where armies settle, Nature offers nothing but briars and thorns. After a great battle has been fought, the land is cursed, the crops fail, the Earth lies stripped of its motherhood.

- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- There is no such thing as total victory because there is always a loss.
- In war, one not only fights his enemies but also nature.

Application: I found my beliefs reinforced with this pacifist statement. I am in total agreement about this anti-war sentiment.

A knower of Truth does what is called for then stops. He uses his strength but does not force things. In the same way, complete your task, seek no reward, make no claims. Without faltering, fully choose to do what you must do. This is to live without forcing, to overcome without conquering.

- One should do what is needed without expectations.
- A goal can be reached without dwelling on it.
- Forcing a situation does not improve the outcome.

Application: This part of verse 30 I have found to be difficult to apply as my mind is often future-focused. I feel as if not much is going on in the present so I focus on and anticipate the future. This type of mindset helps only when I am at task. Presently I am not at task, so this type of mindset either does nothing or hinders my goal. I must work harder to appreciate the fact that there is no task at hand.

Things that gain a place by force will flourish for a time but then fade away. They are not in keeping with Tao. Whatever is not in keeping with Tao will come to an early end.

- Individual effort yields temporary results.
- What is right needs not be enforced.

Application: This is kind of an anarchist statement. What is natural and good will take place regardless of our individual effort. As individuals, we should assist this natural process as opposed to enforcing it. Because our life is temporary so are our efforts. If we do things in accordance with the Tao or Unity which is permanent, then our efforts aid permanence.