Saturday, September 5, 2015

Inspired by Tao Te Ching - chapter 49

道德經第49章

聖人無常心,以百姓心為心。善者,吾善之;不善者,吾亦善之;德善。信者,吾信之;不信者,吾亦信之;德信。聖人在天下,歙歙為天下渾其心,百姓皆注其耳目,聖人皆孩之。

My translation of Chapter 49 of Tao Te Ching:

A sage does not look at things from one perspective
His heart is at one with that of everybody

A pious person, he accepts
An impious person, he accepts too
This is the Taoist morality of compassion

A person who does not trust him, he trusts him in return
A person who does not trust him, he trusts him too
This is the Taoist morality of faith

Everybody feels the sage is with him
And he views through the eyes of everybody
In the eyes of the sage, everybody is a child needing protection

Paul’s comment: "Let a hundred flowers blossom, and the end result will take care of itself", the Taoist way of thought on human and public affairs. Oftentimes parents, teachers, governments, and generally speaking people in authority try to intervene too much. A tree is to be tended with care, acceptance and faith, rather than to be commanded at. And trees do compete among themselves for limited resources, most evidently in jungles around the Equator. Only through mutual trust between the govern and the governed can a solution be found on human issues and conflicts. The ball is always in the court of those in authority. Common people express their opinions and negotiate a solution, people on top need to "let a hundred flowers grow". This is the Taoist way of action, through non-action: on top.

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