Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The Master has no mind of her own.
She understands the mind of the people.

Those who are good she treats as good.
Those who aren’t good she also treats as good.
This is how she attains true goodness.

She trusts people who are trustworthy.
She also trusts people who aren’t trustworthy.
This is how she gains true trust.

The Master’s mind is shut off from the world.
Only for the sake of the people does she muddle her mind.
They look to her in anticipation.
Yet she treats them all as her children.

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In this chapter, Laozi sounds like he is a saintly figure like Jesus or Apostle Paul. Jesus said that you should turn the other cheek, and Paul said it is no good when you treat only the people that do you good in a good way.

When the sage “trusts people who aren’t trustworthy,” it is not because the sage is dumb enough to be fooled by the untrustworthy. Rather, he chooses to be fooled knowing that he is fooled by the untrustworthy. A good parent will show patience when his kid is behave badly.

The sage’s humanitarian affection for both the trustworthy and untrustworthy is admirable, but we should guard against falling into narcissistic Messianism. You should employ a reasoned, moderate approach on this matter.