When a superior man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh,it wouldn't be the Tao.
. .
Translation of the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell
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Mitchell's note on chapter 41 quotes Jesus of Nazareth: "Love your enemies (i.e., treat them with generosity and compassion), so that you may be children of your father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends his rain on the just and on the unjust." I should send thank you notes to those who have hurt me in the past. Why? Simply because my reaction to their hurtful behavior changed the course of my life. They knocked me over onto a parallel path that exceeds all possibilities I could have imagined when I was with them. I would not be where I am today if they had not come into my life when they did. As a result I live where I always dreamed of living and my job is better than the one I had dreamed of when my life was a nightmare. I was ten when my parents drove to Kansas City for a trip to the zoo. On the way we passed through the Country Club Plaza and I knew “I want to live here, exactly here in a brick apartment building on the Plaza.” But this was such a bold thought and I knew that dreams like this are not for little people like me.
ReplyDeleteTao 41, Brian Brown Walker:
The most genuine appears unreal
The strongest power appears weak.
note: I did move to The Plaza in KC and lived in a classy brick apartment building for several years while I worked in a perfect job.