Derivations on a Theme - Solid Footing

Over the past few months, CM Bryan on the blog, Transformations, has been slowly working his way through the Tao Te Ching. In today's post, he's up to Verse 38.

When teaching about ‘not-doing’, the Tao Te Ching often makes a comparison between those who succeed without trying and those who never succeed because they try too hard...This is something we all know to be true. Literature is full of characters who live out this paradox. (I am reminded especially of The Lord of the Rings, where evil is always marked by a desire for power over others, while the virtuous characters — Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and Galadriel especially — prove their character by resisting that temptation.) And yet, we all still ‘reach for power’ in countless little ways: manipulating others through guilt and intimidation, striving for social approval and status, hiding our weaknesses, and insisting that things be done our way.

As I read his musings, it returned me again to another of the paradoxes inherent in philosophical Taoism: How to stay centered, while pushing beyond limits.

One way to explain this might be to say that our feet always need to stay affixed to solid ground. When we have a strong foundation in the core of our being, balance is easy to maintain. When we aren't spiritually scurrying around from hither to yon, we are far less apt to become unhinged when circumstances change or new situations arise.

But beyond our metaphorical feet (one could use the metaphor of the heart as well), our essence needs to have the courage and flexibility to soar beyond the sky. If one part of us is firmly planted, then the rest of us can move beyond preconceived limits because we're always connected to the Way.