Rest of Tao Te Ching

The rest of the Tao Te Ching goes more into government and giving examples of how the weak will overcome the strong and ends with a nice little cherry on top but I'll get back to that later. According to the Tao, a ruler must not interfere with the people for this will make them react. By not doing anything, people will not react in any way making the perfect harmony. And this is not only for people, this applies to animals and plants as well. The only way for them to live in harmony, is to be left on their merry way. The only point of a ruler is to help the people when disaster strikes. So in a way the ruler is just there, doing nothing. Quite a ruler that is, but I see were this idea is going. Why would a man break the law if there is no law? Then again, without law, there would be too much chaos. I think this guy put his hopes for humanity a bit too high.

And the examples, they actually had some pretty good ground. The one I liked the most was the one where he explained how water is really flexible and weak yet it can destroy strong and firm rock. This guy is obviously thinking of and erosion effect which is actually quite interesting. If it works in nature, why can't it work with humans. Another one is how when one is born, he is soft and weak, but when one dies, he is stiff and rough. Weak = Life, Stiff = Death. That was eye-opening to say the least.

Anyways, now the moment you were probably not waiting for: "A small country has fewer people. Though there are machines that can work ten to a hundred times faster than man, they are not needed. The people take death seriously and do not travel far. Though they have boats and carriages, no one uses them. Though they have armor and weapons, no one displays them. Men return to the knotting of rope in place of writing.Their food is plain and good, their clothes fine but simple, their homes secure; They are happy in their ways. Though they live within sight of their neighbors, And crowing cocks and barking dogs are heard across the way, Yet they leave each other in peace while they grow old and die."(80) Okay, it's not the end but it was pretty dang close to being so and should have been so. Well, you can't win them all. This is basically the utopia according to the Tao where nobody shows off and everything is simple. People mind their own way and die peacefully. However, I have two gripes with this "utopia." First, it seem really boring. I think way to borring. Second, it's never going to happen. This is going stictly against human habits. It might seem nice but you heve to accept it is not going past dreams.