In this particular day I shall
interpret a verse from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, namely verse 29. In A
Source Book In Chinese Philosophy,
Wing Tsit Chan presents the verse:
“29. When one desires to take
on an empire and act on it,
(interfere with
it),
I see that he will not succeed.
The empire is a spiritual thing, and should not be acted on.
He who acts on it harms it.
He who holds on to it loses it.
Among creatures some lead and some follow.
Some blow hot and some blow cold.
Some are strong and some are weak.
Some may break and some may fall.
Therefore the sage discards the extremes, the extravagant,
and the
excessive.” 1
Firstly, let us discuss the theme of the verse. The theme of the verse revolves around the
concept of the “government of non-interference”, a method of governing by a
Sage Emperor as a state head. This
“non-interference” does not mean that the ruler will not do anything at all or
not do his responsibilities. Rather, he
leads by virtues by recognizing the realities of opposites, by removing greed
and selfish desires within him and by living away from extremes and
excesses.
Let us go over the first seven lines in the verse.
“When one desires to take on an empire and act on it,
(interfere with
it),
I see that he will not succeed.
The empire is a spiritual thing, and should not be acted on.
He who acts on it harms it.
He who holds on to it loses it.
Among creatures some lead and some follow.”
In these lines, one can observe that if the government will impose
restrictions through variety of laws at the expense of his people, then, chaos
and disorder will arise. This is because
leadership becomes like a business where the leader invests some gold and then
later take back the interest. Leadership
is likened to ownership of the state. This is greed and selfishness. This cause harm or injury to the citizens. This
breeds all the chaotic things rooted from selfishness. It goes against the “natural” flow of
governing the state, such as letting the people exercise freely their natural
capabilities of socializing and doing their jobs without any anxiety of
breaking a law. It also goes against the
“natural” flow of governing the state by forcing obedience of people. Laws, in this sense, are commonly used to
enforce one’s dominion over the other, thus making submission something
inescapable for ordinary people.
Restriction as observed in many cases, always resort to violence as a
way of attaining liberty. Therefore the
wisest way for a ruler, with the government, would be that they do only what is
necessary. In not imposing too much laws
rebellion may cease to exist in the minds of the people. Even with less implementation the state meets
its goals of efficiency and effectiveness.
This is because the government and its ruler focus more on fewer but
necessary things, such as the present laws and ways of strengthening its
implementation. In focusing on such
little things, there is strength in governance, thus, making the flow of
transactions more positive and productive.
For Lao Tzu, dominance is not good. It
breeds selfish desires. This is because the more the ruler pushes for loyalty
and obedience, the more he harms the state and loses the support of his people.
As results, people will possibly rebel against the ruler, incite chaos or
disorder among the citizens and cause conflicts to become wars. Thus, he loses
his people and the state.
Now let us continue in the remaining lines in the verse.
“Some blow hot and some blow cold.
Some are strong and some are weak.
Some may break and some may fall.
Therefore the sage discards the extremes, the extravagant,
and the
excessive.”
In these lines, it is revealed how the government of non-interference,
with its Sage Emperor would go about in governing the state. It can be observed in these lines that
instead of imposing anything, the ruler discards the extreme impositions of
laws. He discards the extravagant
lifestyle which is a common thing to rulers or to anyone having a position in
the government. He discards the
excessive desires of power and dominion over his subjects. Extravagance is abuse of resources of the
state. Extremes are the outcomes of
extravagance and the excesses are the results of cuddling the extremes. All of these lead one to downfall.
But a Sage Emperor lives
simply, with humility in his heart, and with only the necessary things in life.
His life becomes complete and his
leadership becomes an inspiration to his people. He focuses more on the current situation of
the state and the current laws which apply to it, instead of implementing a new
set of laws that can stir anarchy. With
his simple, humble living, the people are more compelled to trust him and love
him. And with this peace and order are
attained.
Lao Tzu introduces a unique and more effective concept of governance
rooted in “non-interference” through the Sage Emperor. The wisdom of the said teaching lies in the
principle of considering the state as a kingdom to be ruled rightly and
virtuously. With righteousness and
virtues, the leadership of the Sage Emperor can multiply the values of
humility, simplicity, peace, balance and Nature-centeredness to his people
through his governance.
Source:
1.
Wing Tsit Chan, “The Natural Way of Lao Tzu”, (United States: Princeton
University Press, 1963), In A Source Book In
Chinese Philosophy, 154.
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