The power of the opposite
Reading chapter 41 of the Tao Te Ching
“The wise student hears of the Tao and practises it diligently.
The average student hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again.
The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud.
If there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is.Hence it is said:
The bright path seems dim;
Going forward seems like retreat;
The easy way seems hard;
The highest Virtue seems empty;
Great purity seems sullied;
A wealth of Virtue seems inadequate;
The strength of Virtue seems frail;
Real Virtue seems unreal;
The perfect square has no corners;
Great talents ripen late;
The highest notes are hard to hear;
The greatest form has no shape.
The Tao is hidden and without name.
The Tao alone nourishes and brings everything to fulfillment.”
This time I took the translation of Gia-fu Feng and Jane English as the basis. I have the translation of D.C. Lau in a book but oftentimes I find the translation of Feng and English clearer. Comparing the two also gives some deeper insight of what is meant in the original text.
This chapter to me is about the fact that the Tao Te Ching is the opposite of the mainstream way of thinking that is taught in schools. It feels weird studying the Tao Te Ching sometimes because the advice on how to be is exactly opposed to mainstream thinking. Mainstream thinking values showing off, being visible, obeying the rules, fitting in, speaking up, taking action, being arrogant. This is the complete opposite of the invisibility, no ruls, outsider position, silence, humility, and no action that the Tao Te Ching values.
The Tao Te Ching feels weird, maybe even laughable at first. In the first lines of this chapter, Lao Tzu states that the fact that fools laugh at it defines the Tao. If nobody laughed at it, the Tao would not be what it is. It is an area of knowledge that is ridiculous because it is a radically different way of looking at the world. It is a truth that polarizes. Thing that are outside people’s comfort zones, outside their mental models, get laughed at. The Tao exists because there is a comfort zone, a normal, a mainstream, something to oppose. The Tao is an antidote, a different way. It is difficult to embrace because it is so different. The students that recognize its value do so because it offers an alternative to the mainstream that resonates with them on a deep level.
So to study the Tao means it looks like a dark path because it is the opposite of what we are used to. Studying the Tao means it feels like taking steps back. How can being invisible and humble be effective in a world that values visibility and arrogance? How can doing nothing get things done? It is hard to grasp and embrace it, but once you do, things become easier. The Tao seems like the opposite of where we need to go but it is not. Living according to the Tao gets more things done with less energy and less stress. Studying the Tao means building trust. Showing off, obeying the rules, being busy are all fear responses, ways to gain control over things we cannot control. Studying the means releasing control and going with the flow. I find it valuable to look at what you are thinking and look at the complete opposite to see if there is value there. It is impossible to be completely invisible, do absolutely nothing, to never abide to rules, to always be the outsider, to always be silent but there is huge value in doing more of those things, to do the complete opposite of what mainstream society things is the way. I find that I can accomplish more.
Thank you for reading this essay. I hope you enjoyed it. If you clap for this essay, I will know I connected with you. If you follow me here on Medium, you will see more essays on reading the Tao Te Ching pop up on your Medium homepage. You can also subscribe to an email service here on Medium which will drop new essays right into your inbox. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn to see new articles in your timeline or chat with me there.
