Wen Tzu - Verse 155, Part I

from Verse One Hundred Fifty-Five

Those who practice humaneness deliberately always calculate it in terms of sorrow and happiness, those who practice justice deliberately always understand it in terms of taking and giving.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

I realize that passages such as this sound queer to the western ear. We grow up hearing incessantly about morals and rules. Every act we undertake is supposed to be measured against these external standards.

So, is Lao Tzu suggesting that humaneness, civility and justice aren't worthy attributes?

Not at all. Each indeed is something to strive for without striving at all! We should behave in these ways naturally as each situation calls for it, rather than calculating how much we need to give or bear.

Our calculating nature is the problem. We're always trying to figure out how to receive the most for the least. When we agree to swap favors with someone else, most of us try to figure out what we can offer so that we get back the same plus a little more. For the true person of Tao, this quid pro quo plus one calculation doesn't figure in at all. You simply do what needs to be done without any consideration for what you might receive in return.

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