Today I continued reading the oh-so-amazing Tao Te Ching. Today, however it wasn't as simple and great. Parts THIRTEEN through TWENTY-EIGHT all talk basically about being good. They explain that following the Tao is eternal and the only way to become good, it talks again about doing one things as well as its opposite- the same yin-yang thing but only now it is a kind of give-and-take thing. A great example of the type of relationship talked about in the text is this aphorism, which was included in various parts of the text, 'He who does not trust enough will not be trusted.' He will only be trusted by others if he trusts them, the others give then he takes. By not doing anything then everything will work out and we won't be disappointed.
This is still my favorite literary piece we have read so far, but in today's reading the message wasn't as clear as the last time. This is probably because the texts covered lots of different topics, each of them very complex. Here are some aphorisms I liked:
'Give up ingenuity, renounce profit, and bandits and thieves will disappear.' (NINETEEN) I really like this part and the message it conveys. It is something that I've always believed in: as long as there is something there will be something bad that goes along with it. It's not like I'm a pessimist, to me it is just logical to think that if there is one piece of bread and two people want it, they are going to fight for it. The Tao is telling us to do the exact opposite, it is telling us to renounce what we have and do nothing. This is a bit depressing but it also makes sense when you think about it.
'Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!' (TWENTY) The message= be yourself! This is also I strongly believe in, being who you truly are and not who others think you are or want you to be. Living your whole life under a cover just to try and please other is exactly as the text says, nonsense! Are you yourself not important enough to please too?
'The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone.' (TWENTY-ONE) It is self-explanatory. That is mainly what I like about this aphorism, how simple it is. I also really admire the confidence it emits. I just hate complications, all the drama that people add in just to make life more 'interesting'. I don't see it like that, I just see it as another problem blown up to a ridiculous size, without that being necessary. What I admire are confident and simple people, just as this aphorism seems.
It looks like this book and I are more alike than I thought. We would make a good couple! (Just joking)
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