Huainanzi - Entry 31

Trey Smith

The ruler is the mind of the nation. When the mind is orderly, all nodes are calm; when the mind is disturbed, all nodes are deranged.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

We must remember that governance is a bit different now than in the BCE era in China! We no longer have kings, dukes and lords, though it sometimes seems like we do.

Still, despite the differences, the message of this snippet continues to ring true. When the ruling class (oligarchy) maintains a system that is fair and just, the people go about their daily routines and feel a sense of pride in their nation and community. When the ruling class maintains a system that patently is unfair and unjust, there is unrest amongst the people. The people exhibit less pride and are suspicious of others. A sense of widespread community and commonality is lost.

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