The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu

The book has a foreword in which the history of the book is given some discussion. The history that is given depends on who writes the book. Some writers hold that Lao Tzu was a real person, working at the archives, who got disenchanted with the way people and the government were behaving and decided to leave.

Before he could some guy at a barrier asked (or demanded, depends upon who you read) that he write down a book of his wisdom and that is how the Tao Te Ching came about.

Or, perhaps, as other writers say, there was (or was not) and actual Lau Tzu who wrote part/none of the book, and that most/or all of the book was written by different Taoists over time.

In other words, no one knows what really happened.

Verse 9 Filling to fullness is not as good
as stopping at the right moment.
Oversharpening a blade causes its edge to be lost.
Line your home with treasures and you won't be able to defend it.

Amass possessions,
establish positions,
display your pride:
Soon enough disaster drives you to your knees.

This is the way of heaven:
do your work, then quietly step back.

This is probably one of the best translations of this verse since it clearly makes sense. Know when to stop doing something, when you've done enough and doing more not only isn't needed but could make things worse.

If you amass valuable things, you open yourself up to those things being stolen. Your mind also centers on those things and not on higher principles.

Don't brag about the things you do. Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability but don't expect or demand praise for what you have done. Be satisfied in having done your task well.

Verse 46
When the world practices Tao, horses fertilize the fields.
When the world ignores Tao,
horse are bred for war.

There is no greater calamity than desire,
no greater curse than greed.
Know that enough is enough
and you'll always have enough.

The second part seems to relate back to Verse 9 and amassing possessions. Now when you have enough.

The first part makes great sense. Follow the Tao and there will be no wars; don't follow the Tao, and wars will eventually arise.

However, herein lies a problem. If one government follows the Way does not mean that its neighboring government will, and that could lead to major problems. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, the Tao presumes that people will act in a right way, that people will behave in a civilized manner and that the governments will do likewise.

Verse 80 Let there be small countries with few people.
Let the people have no us for complicated machinery.
Let them be mindful of death so that they
don't move too far from their birthplaces.
If there are boats and carriages,
let there be nowhere to take them to.
If there are weapons,
let there be no occasion to display them.
Let the people's responsibilities be few
enough that the may remember them
by knitting a string.
Let them enjoy their food
be content with their clothes,
be satisfied with their homes,
and take pleasure in their customs.
Though the next country may be close enough
to hear the barking of its dogs and the
crowing of its rooster, let the people
grow old and die without feeling compelled
to visit it.

Such as thing might have been possible back in the ancient times, but it's just not realistic in this modern times. In ancient times agriculture was the main job and there were cities, but not the number nor the size there are today. People today take jobs in other cities and even in other countries. To satisfy this particular verse, incredible changes would have to be made in how people live, changes which would probably destroy modern civilization as we know it.

It is not impossible that such a thing as the verse above might became the norm again if there were to be a nuclear war that left a relatively small number of survivors, or some form of natural disaster that did the same.


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