Tao Te Ching, trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial, 1982, #80.
If a country is governed wisely,
its inhabitants will be content.
They enjoy the labor of their hands
and don’t waste time inventing
labor-saving machines.
Since they dearly love their homes,
they aren’t interested in travel.
There may be a few wagons and boats,
but these don’t go anywhere.
There may be an arsenal of weapons,
but nobody ever uses them.
People enjoy their food,
take pleasure in being with their families,
spend weekends working in their gardens,
delight in the doings of the neighborhood.
And even though the next country is so close
that people can hear its roosters crowing and its dogs barking,
they are content to die of old age
without ever having gone to see it.
2 comments:
How many excuses I come up with for why I can’t accept things the way they are. Here is a description of the peaceful land I would like to have inside me.
Dearest Creator, Lover of our beings, Please stir in us the contentment of which I read here. Help us to treat one another kindly and with appreciation, so that we may truly see the wonders of our world and bask in your loveliness. Thank you. Awomen.
P.S. I've tried to post comments numerous times recently, but later find them gone, am wondering if something might be going kaflooey w/my computer.
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