Wen Tzu - Verse 154, Part II

from Verse One Hundred Fifty-Four

So the Way is not to establish oneself by aggressiveness, not to conquer by forcefulness, not to gain by competitiveness.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

When we use aggression and force in order to compete with others, we create winners and losers. When there are winners and losers, we have created adversaries. Adversaries always are on the lookout to better the other.

It doesn't matter which side we come out on; both are problematic. Victors want to insure they remain on top, so they often act in a ruthless manner to keep their adversaries down. The vanquished often are on the lookout for ways to topple the victors.

In essence, competition creates war -- whether between nations, individuals or within ourselves. War keeps all from from finding their way to Tao.

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