Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear.As an autistic individual, I like things to go in their usual, routinized way and this is why I loathe being caught off guard. When life doesn't go as I presume it will, I tend to be very slow to react to changing circumstances and I have a penchant for becoming frustrated very quickly.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
Who can wait quietly while the mud settles?
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Who can be muddled yet desist In stillness gradually become clear?
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
Can you wait for that kind of openness and clarity before you try to understand the world?
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
In other words, I'm not one to wait for the mud to settle! I grow impatient and I want things to resolve themselves lickety split. When they don't -- as life is apt to do -- it's not uncommon for me to flail around wildly like a fish out of water.
So, today's line contains a message I should take to heart! What about you?
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
Fabulous message. Incredibly wise. When the advice is simple and practical, as opposed to religious, it is easy to test. I am seriously imperfect, but every time I waited, I did the right thing.
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