Huainanzi - Entry 20

from the Huainanzi
Trey Smith

Laws and conventions are tools of government, but they are not what constitutes government.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

I couldn't agree with this passage more. For me, the best government is that which models virtue. If the leaders are just, humane and respectful, the vast majority of the people will be too.

Think of this passage in terms of a family. Parents set rules and boundaries for their children. These are tools by which they hope to help mold their progeny into mature adults. However, if parents fail to model the kind of behavior they want their children to emulate, all the rules in the world won't amount to a hill of beans. Children are far more apt to replicate how their parents genuinely comport themselves, not on what their parents say -- particularly if the former contradicts the latter!

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.