Verse 64: Journey of 1,000 Miles

Verse Sixty-Four
Things are easier to control while things are quiet.
Things are easier to plan far in advance.
Things break easier while they are still brittle.
Things are easier hid while they are still small.

Prevent problems before they arise.
Take action before things get out of hand.
The tallest tree
begins as a tiny sprout.
The tallest building
starts with one shovel of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles
starts with a single footstep.

If you rush into action, you will fail.
If you hold on too tight, you will lose your grip.

Therefore the Master lets things take their course
and thus never fails.
She doesn't hold on to things
and never loses them.
By pursing your goals too relentlessly,
you let them slip away.
If you are as concerned about the outcome
as you are about the beginning,
then it is hard to do things wrong.
The master seeks no possessions.
She learns by unlearning,
thus she is able to understand all things.
This gives her the ability to help all of creation.
~ John McDonald translation ~

A few aspects of Taoism have permeated modern culture. The words yin and yang, along with the pictorial representation of such, can be seen often in stores and on bumper stickers. The line from this verse about the "journey of a thousand miles" is another example. Many people are familiar with the reference, but like with yin and yang, they are clueless as to its connection to Taoism.

In the translation being featured today, we have the most commonly known version of the famous line: "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single footstep." However, other translators have interpreted it in a slightly different way. For Nina Correa, the line goes like this: "A journey of one thousand miles begins from where one stands." Others like Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English translate the line as "A journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet. "

Some people may find some value in arguing which translation is most accurate, but to my way of thinking, it's really not that important as each version imparts the same basic message and that message is a continuation from the previous verse.

No matter how long or far our journey may be, we can only travel our path one step at a time. When our focus is on the far off distant horizon, we can easily be tripped up by our steps because we're not paying close attention to what we're doing NOW.

It's the very same problem we commit when we don't handle problems in the beginning when they are most manageable. We're so busy looking toward a brighter day that we don't do the most fundamental things necessary to make that brighter day possible. And then we sit around bitching and moaning about how all our plans have blown up in our face!!

As the author of the blog, Tao Wow, understands this famous verse,

This seems so simple, yet we all find things a little overbearing at times. Some keys to the method are other lines in the chapter that remind us to act when we can, doing a little at the right time can make the big task much easier. Acting at the right time is part of Wu Wei and taking things bit by bit is both Wu Wei and the way of Tao.

Of the many various lessons included in the 81 verses of the TTC, I think that one of the most important ones is for each of us to learn to slow down and to let our lives unfold naturally. This is a difficult lesson to embrace in our fast-paced modern world, but we could each have better peace of mind if we could only embrace it nonetheless.

Nina Correa puts this idea to perspective when she writes,

Nothing that exists happened overnight. Everything follows a slow, natural progression of growth. In our modern society we tend to forget that, and look for immediate results.

In our big rush to get to something done, we can end up destroying the beauty of it because of our motivations and expectations. Everyone's had those times when they wish they would have moved slower in a situation instead of rushing head on. If we cling to the idea of what we want desperately, we find that the need to cling in itself removes our objective ever further away.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.