the bright Way looks dim
Tao is all things, so any analogy falls short.
Who can comprehend the incomprehensible? Insight strikes some and their eyes open in wonder; insight strikes others and they laugh and walk on.
When exercising te and flowing with Tao, life is easy. Yet to enjoy the stroll down the mountain one must first have climbed.
Life can be hard. So many things can happen to other people, and we each are ‘other people’. We may appreciate simplicity, but we can perceive things as complex on first sight. The days and the years can be torturous, as they can be delightful.
The bright Way looks dim.
The progressive Way looks retrograde.
The smooth Way looks rugged.
High Virtue looks like an abyss.
Great whiteness looks spotted.
Abundant Virtue looks deficient.
Established Virtue looks shabby.
Tao Te Ching1, verse 41
Take care in assessing how you’re doing and where you’re going. While it’s necessary to discern the path from the cliff edge, judging your way only adds false signposts. When in doubt, be as water; seek the low – flow around, under, and through.
1Version: John C. H. Wu
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