Late in life I’ve lost my country.
Everywhere there is the malice of unearned
power, top to bottom, bottom to top,
nearly solid scum. Very few can read or write.
Lucky for me we winter in this bamboo thicket
near a creek with three barrels of bird food.
With first light things seem a little better.
A great country is like
a low-lying land into which many
streams flow. It draws powerful energies
to it as a receptive woman draws
an eager man.
The feminine can always
conquer the masculine by yielding
and taking the lower position. In this way
she becomes as low-lying land:
in time, everything comes
her way.
Therefore a great country
can win over a small country by practicing
humility. A small country can also win over
a great country by practicing
humility.
One wins by
willingly taking the lower
position. The other wins by
willingly acknowledging
its lower position.
The great country
wants to embrace and nourish
more people.The small country wants
to ably serve its benefactor. Both
accomplish their ends
by yielding.
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Governing
a large country is like
cooking a small fish. If it’s done
in accordance with Tao,
nothing bad will
happen.
Guide
the world with Tao,
and evil won’t be a problem.
Not that it won’t be around, but it won’t
find an opening. When it can’t find
an opening, it can’t harm
anyone.
The sage
doesn’t harm anyone,
either. When there’s no harm on
this side, no harm on that,
goodness flows back
and forth like
water.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
ebooks & apps of the Tao the Ching, I Ching,
Hua hu Ching, and Art of War for
You
can now buy
Tao te Ching as part of a
five-app bundle of Taoist classics
for iPhone or iPad for less than
the cost of one hardcover
book.