Line by Line - Verse 13, Line 11

and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

One who loves the self as the world Can be entrusted with the world
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Deal with what you can, and the rest will follow.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Most people want the best for themselves. They want to be happy, secure, loved, protected, trusted and treated justly.

We want all these things and more for the illusion of a self that is separate from all other selves. Some people, of course, will tell you that they want these things for others as well...as long as they receive them first!

The sage doesn't see separation, so what she/he wants is for life itself to be happy, secure, loving, protected, trustful and just. When we are able to knockdown the artificial barriers of separation to see the interconnection of all life, what we seek to accomplish for the self, we concurrently seek to accomplish for the world.

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