from Verse One Hundred Thirty-OneWhen action and repose are appropriate, then trouble cannot invade you. When receiving and giving are suitable, then blame does not burden you. When likes and dislikes are rational, then anxiety does not get near you. When joy and anger are harmonious, then enmity does not press upon you.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
In each example proffered above, the goal is balance.
Think about when you first learned to ride a bicycle. Initially, most of us tended to fall over because we leaned too far in one direction or we had trouble maintaining enough speed. Little by little, the novice gets the hang of the balancing act and, in time, it becomes second nature and you no longer need to think about it; you just do it.
For me, that's the key point that Lao Tzu is driving at. As we start to wend our way through life, we need to think about what we're doing, weighing options and trying to find the middle path. The hope is that, in time, it will no longer become a conscious exercise. We will sense our own equilibrium and this will lead us to seek balance in all we do.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Think about when you first learned to ride a bicycle. Initially, most of us tended to fall over because we leaned too far in one direction or we had trouble maintaining enough speed. Little by little, the novice gets the hang of the balancing act and, in time, it becomes second nature and you no longer need to think about it; you just do it.
For me, that's the key point that Lao Tzu is driving at. As we start to wend our way through life, we need to think about what we're doing, weighing options and trying to find the middle path. The hope is that, in time, it will no longer become a conscious exercise. We will sense our own equilibrium and this will lead us to seek balance in all we do.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are unmoderated, so you can write whatever you want.