Line by Line - Verse 26, Lines 5-6

Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he quietly remains (in his proper place), indifferent to them.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Though there are beautiful things to be seen,
He remains unattached and calm.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Even though there are luxurious sights
They are composed and transcend beyond
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

She may be surrounded by beauty
but she isn't caught up in it.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

It can be difficult not to get up in our media-crazed, consumer-driven world. We constantly are bombarded with what it means to be beautiful, young, strong, sophisticated and popular. We are urged to conform to arbitrary standards.

But we find again and again that, when we go chasing after externally-defined criteria, we lose the basic essence of who we are. No matter how much we obtain, something tends to get lost in the process.

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