Verse 81

81
The truth isn't flashy.
Flashy words aren't true.
Educated people
aren't always smart.

Smart people
don't always have an education.
Good people don't argue.
People who argue aren't good.

The Masters don't hang on to things.
They're always doing something
for other people,
so they always have more to give.
They give away
whatever they have,
so what they have is worth more.

If you want to get right with Tao,
help other people, don't hurt them.
The Masters always work with people,
never against them.

a modern interpretation of Lao Tzu
perpetrated by Ron Hogan

Verse 80

Verse 80
Lao Tzu had a dream
about a small country
with very few people.
They didn't need machines
to get their work done faster.
They took their lives seriously,
and stayed close to home.

They may have owned
boats and carriages,
but they never went anywhere.
They may have owned weapons,
but they kept those weapons
locked up, securely hidden.

They had so few responsibilities,
they never had to make a To-Do list
to remember what had to be done.
They enjoyed simple foods,
dressed plainly, lived comfortably,
and kept their traditions alive.

And even though
their neighbors were so close
they could hear
the dogs barking at night,
they had no interest
in leaving their homes,
where they grew old peacefully

and died.

a modern interpretation of Lao Tzu
perpetrated by Ron Hogan

Verse 64

Verse 64

It's easy to maintain balance.
Trouble can be nipped in the bud.
Fragile things break easily,
and small things are easy to lose.

Deal with the situation
before it becomes a problem.
Keep everything straight
so it can't get messed up.
Every tree was once a seed.
Every skyscraper started out
with a shovelful of dirt.

And--stop me if you've heard this one before--
a journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.

When you try too hard,
you defeat your own purpose.
Cling to stuff,
and you will suffer loss.
The Masters make no effort,
so they never fail.

They aren't attached to things,
so they never feel loss.
People often screw up
when the job's nearly done.

Pay as much attention
to the finishing touches
as you do to the initial steps,
and you won't screw up like that.

The Masters try to be free from desire.
They don't collect precious things.
They don't cling to any beliefs.
They pay attention
to what everybody else ignores.

They help the world get right with Tao,
but don't try to change a thing.

a modern interpretation of Lao Tzu
perpetrated by Ron Hogan

Verse 57

You can run a country

by sticking to principles,
and you can win a war
with strategy and tactics.

But you can gain the entire world
by doing nothing at all.
How do I know this?
I've seen it happen:
The more restrictions
a nation imposes,
the poorer its people become.
When a nation hoards weapons,
troubles arise from within
and from without.
When its leaders try
to be cunning and clever,
the situation spins
further out of control.

When they try to fix things
by passing more laws,
they only increase the number of outlaws.
A wise leader says to himself:
"I do nothing,
and people transform themselves.
I keep silent,
and they do the right thing
on their own.
I stay out of the way,
and they prosper.
I want for nothing,
and they lead simple lives."

a modern interpretation of Lao Tzu
perpetrated by Ron Hogan

verse 55

A person filled with the power of Tao

is like a baby boy:
bees can't sting him,
wild beasts can't attack him.
A baby has soft bones
and weak muscles,
but a firm grip.
He hasn't had sex,
but he can get an erection.
That's because he's got lots of energy.
He can cry all day
and never lose his voice.
That's because he's at one with his world.
If you're at one with the world,
you know constancy.
And if you know constancy,
you've been enlightened.
It's not healthy
to try to prolong your life.
It's unnatural to impose the mind's will
upon the body.
People waste time and energy
trying to be strong or beautiful,
and their strength and beauty fade.
They've lost touch with Tao,
and when you lose touch with Tao,
you might as well be dead.