Whether
we and our politicians
know it or not, Nature is party
to all our deals and decisions, and she
has more votes, a longer memory,
and a sterner sense of justice
than we do.
Whether
we and our politicians
know it or not, Nature is party
to all our deals and decisions, and she
has more votes, a longer memory,
and a sterner sense of justice
than we do.
That one is
blessed and at peace who
doesn’t hope, to whom desire makes
no more loans. Nothing coming,
nothing owed.
You must
avoid letting your mind
dwell upon anything whatsoever,
which implies being unconcerned
with either deeds or
no deeds.
What
I mean is keeping
your mind free from hatred
and love. This means that you must be able
to see attractive things without love for them arising
in your mind and also you must be able to see
repulsive things without hatred for them
arising in your mind. You
must examine this
thoroughly.
Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie
Dust unto dust
The calm earth mothers all who die
As all men must
Mourn not your captive comrades who must dwell
Too strong to strive
Within each steel-bound coffin of a cell,
Buried alive;
But rather mourn the apathetic throng
The cowed and the meek
Who see earth’s great languish and its wrong
And dare not speak.
Those
who wish to use
Tao to influence others
don’t rely on force or weapons
or military strategies. Force rebounds.
Weapons turn on their wielders.
Battles are inevitably
followed by
famines.
Just do
what needs to be done,
and then stop. Attain your purpose,
but don’t press your advantage. Be resolute,
but don’t force. Succeed, but don’t
crow. Accomplish, but don’t
overpower.
Overdoing
things invites decay,
and this is against Tao.
Whatever is against
Tao soon ceases
to be.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
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