Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Line by Line - Verse 39, Lines 20-21

They do not wish to show themselves elegant-looking as jade, but (prefer) to be coarse-looking as an (ordinary) stone.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Do not tinkle like jade
Or clatter like stone chimes.

~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Do not wish to be shiny like jade
Be dull like rocks

~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Don't call attention to yourself.
Don't make a scene.

~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
When we call attention to ourselves by being ostentatious, we invite envy and the desire of others to take what we have. Our showiness creates stress because we then feel the need to protect our largess from others.

As one example, think of those individuals who drive fancy cars and flash their jewelry for everyone to see. When they go home at night, they drive into their gated communities and then, once inside their house or condo, they set their private alarm system. Before retiring for the night, they check to make sure the pistol is in the drawer next to the bed.

I am happy to be "dull like a rock!"

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

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