Tao Bible - Matthew 13:3-9

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
~ King James version ~

If I have even just a little sense,
I will walk on the main road and my only fear
will be of straying from it.
Keeping to the main road is easy,
But people love to be sidetracked.
~ from Verse 53 of the Tao Te Ching ~

The sidetracking that Lao Tzu mentions is not that much different from the seeds that did not take root in good soil. Most of us readily can see which paths in life will lead us toward serenity and peace, but our unmitigated desires cloud our vision. So, we go off on wild goose chases and then wonder how we became lost!

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