Line by Line - Verse 3, Line 6

When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If nothing is done, then all will be well.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Act without contrivance And nothing will be beyond control
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Stop doing stuff all the time, and watch what happens.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

There's a popular saying that embraces the above idea: Get out of your own way!

When we scheme, plot and try to manipulate circumstances to come out they way we desire, what often happens? We know the answer; more often than not, everything comes out all screwed up! Aspects of the situation we didn't bother to take into consideration tend to exert the greatest impact. Variables that don't match up our desires are ignored and then come back to haunt us.

If we would only get out of our own way, life usually falls into place by itself. Needless to say, I think Ron Hogan captures the spirit of this line very well.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.