Line by Line - Verse 17, Line 1

In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers).
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

The very highest if barely known.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The highest rulers, people do not know they have them
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When the Masters take charge, hardly anybody notices.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I alluded to this verse in one of yesterday's posts. An organization runs at its best when people are not consciously aware of the various administrative duties being performed. If a staff member or volunteer has to hunt down crucial resources and material or needs an explanation of how something elementary is done, then the administration is failing the organization!

When I was the paid administrative person for the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, some of the new board members wanted to know what I did to earn my kingly $800/month. At the next board meeting, I handed them 2 pages filled with all the tasks I handled behind the scenes. In what I considered a great compliment, most of these folks just assumed that all these responsibilities were being magically handled on their own. They had no idea that I was the one doing them.

Derek Lin makes much the same point when he writes,

The most skillful rulers work behind the scene. They know how to achieve their objectives quickly and quietly. They use a light touch and produce seamless results.

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