Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Heaviness is the basis of lightness.
Stillness is the standard of activity.

Thus the Master travels all day
without ever leaving her wagon.
Even though she has much to see,
she is at peace in her indifference.

Why should the lord of a thousand chariots
be amused at the foolishness of the world?
If you abandon yourself to foolishness,
you lose touch with your beginnings.
If you let yourself become distracted,
you will lose the basis of your power.

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Note this verse: “Even though she has much to see, she is at peace in her indifference.”

This characteristic of a Taoist sage is strikingly similar to stoicists. Stoicists did not respect wanderlusts. Their rationale was that you don’t have to travel to learn something. You just do not know how to be still. I am not against traveling though. Why not travel enough to experience diverse cultures and sceneries? They are the great joys of life.

I have a feeling that this description was written to admonish a ruler or king. The king has not time to spare for thinking about petty things. “The lord of a thousand chariots” wouldn’t have time to care about trivial things in the world.