Line by Line - Verse 31, Lines 16-17

He who has killed multitudes of men should weep for them with the bitterest grief;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

When many people are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who have been killed
Should be mourned with sadness
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Pay your respects to the dead.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

When others terrorize us, we call them terrorists. When we are the ones terrorizing others, we justify our actions as not falling within the parameters of terrorism.

In my mind's eye, war itself is terrorism. The civilians caught in the middle are terrorized by all sides. You can know that terror has become a routine part of people's lives when going to the store, walking the dog or looking out your window are considered courageous acts!

When people die from armed conflicts of which we are participants -- particularly the innocents -- we should honor their deaths as much as we honor our soldiers.

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