Line by Line - Verse 72, Line 1

When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

When people no longer fear force
They bring about greater force
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When you show no fear at all,
the universe gives you something
to really be afraid of.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I really like what John Lash has to say about this line.

When we lose the ability to feel awe in the face of beauty and perfection, when nature becomes plastic to us, just something to use and then throw away, disaster must result. When we are no longer awed by the majesty of mountains, but see them simply as sources of ore or ski resorts, when we no longer see the overwhelming beauty of a forest but only a place to dump our rubbish, we will have lost the essence of life.

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