Line by Line - Verse 2, Line 3

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore having and not having arise together.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Thus being and non-being produce each other
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

You can't have something without nothing.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

For me, Ron Hogan boils this line down to the crux! In order to conceive of ANY thing, idea, feeling, thought, object or action, a person must be able to conceive of its opposite -- nothing.

Nothing provides the framework from which everything else arises. It sets the boundaries between our perception of this thing right here and that thing over there. If we had no conception of nothingness, then everything in life would flow together as one giant blur and life, as we know it, would be impossible.

So, while we might like to think that the somethings of our world hold life together, it's actually the opposite. Nothing is what makes everything else possible!

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