Discontinue celebrating death or violence in any form.
Distance yourself from as many images of death as possible, including watching movies or TV shows that depict killing as a form of entertainment, along with news reports that emphasize the extinguishing of life. Teach your kids, and any children you can, to sanctify life. Encourage them not to take pleasure in the demise of so-called enemies, terrorists, or insurgents—all of these kinds of death, be they on a battlefield or an urban street, are evidence of our collective will to kill. And don’t demonstrate hatred and outrage; rather, teach yourself and others that every victory accomplished with weapons is a funeral that should be mourned.
Here are some sensitive lines from Saint Thomas Aquinas, a holy man who attempted to teach us what Lao-tzu offered in this verse of the Tao Te Ching:
How is it they live for eons in such harmony—
the billions of stars—
when most men can barely go a minute
without declaring war in their mind against someone they know.
There are wars where no one marches with a flag,
though that does not keep casualties
from mounting.
Our hearts irrigate this earth.
We are fields before
each other.
How can we live in harmony?
First we need to
know
we are all madly in love
with the same
God.
Do the Tao Now
Say a private prayer today for every person you read or hear about who’s a victim of killing by a weapon, no matter how distant.
32nd Verse
The eternal Tao has no name.
Although simple and subtle,
no one in the world can master it.
If kings and lords could harness them,
the 10,000 things would naturally obey.
Heaven and earth would rejoice
with the dripping of sweet dew.
Everyone would live in harmony,
not by official decree,
but by their own goodness.
Once the whole is divided, the parts need names.
There are already enough names;
know when to stop.
Know when reason sets limits
to avoid peril.
Rivers and streams are born of the ocean,
and all creation is born of the Tao.
Just as all water flows back to become the ocean,
all creation flows back to become the Tao.
Living the Perfect
Goodness of the Tao
In this verse, Lao-tzu describes the ecstasy of being truly on the same page as your Source. What you might describe as openheartedness or joy is the “simple and subtle” flow of the Tao energy that’s responsible for all of life . . . and no effort on your part is necessary.
Lao-tzu opens this verse with a reminder that no one—not you, me, or even the most powerful king or dictator—can rein in or master this force known as the Tao. If it were under our control, then all of nature and its 10,000 things would celebrate because we’d live in peace and harmony. When we’re able to live and breathe the perfect goodness that is the Tao, wars, famine, conflict, and other negative human creations cease to exist. The challenge presented in this 32nd verse of the Tao Te Ching is how to live in our physical world in unison with the eternal, always-molding and always-creating Tao.
Look at what you desire to bring into your life; then, in the context of this sweet verse, feel grateful for everything you encounter. Express gratitude by riding the flow of your existence and allowing it to be your ally. You can steer while still enjoying this glorious ride, but if you elect to fight it, you’ll ultimately get pulled under by its current. This is true for every aspect of your life: The more you push against it, the more resistance you create.
Be aware of anything that’s directing you toward activities that truly ignite your passion. If events seem to be taking you in a new direction in your work, for instance, or signs point to changing your job or location, pay attention! Don’t get pulled under by refusing to budge and continuing a familiar frustrating routine, and then justifying your fear of change. Recognize the Tao energy coursing through your life and quit fighting your calling.
I watch my young son on a surfboard each day of the summer here on Maui. He loves the thrilling ride as he accelerates by going with the wave—he’s not attempting to control it by prolonging it or forcing it to move in a different direction. I use this as a metaphor for my life, for I write in the flow. I allow thoughts and ideas to come in and move onto the page. I allow myself to be carried by the great wave of the Tao in all of my decisions, which brings me peace. That’s because I trust in the perfect goodness of the Tao to guide me, direct me, and take me where it will.
You and I are like the rivers and streams that Lao-tzu mentions in this verse. We were born of the Tao, our Source
