Chapter 45
True perfection seems imperfect,yet it is perfectly itself.
True fullness seems empty,yet it is fully present.
True straightness seems crooked.
True wisdom seems foolish.
True art seems artless.
The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.
She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself.
I love the way the musical irony of life is illustrated here. "True straightness seems crooked." is a line that declares the reality that the right way to do something isn't always the most obvious and it may even be one of the most difficult and unconventional approaches. "True wisdom seems foolish." reminds me of the ancient Jewish King Solomon. This profound concept was very present in his works and later boldly used by Jesus in his teachings. Christian circles embrace this concept as ancient wisdom from the Spirit of their God so isn't it interesting to stop for a moment and consider just how ancient it is? Seems that even the wisdom of God preceded the existence of the Bible. (One well informed could easily argue the reality of the Bible's spiritual and moral significance because of the reality of the splendid wisdom of texts even more ancient than itself but that's another blog series long time in the making. )
The profound statement "To be wise you must first become a fool" is firmly rooted in various forms of theology and I think its reality exceeds the confines of theology when applied by practical minds.
"True art seems artless." gracefully indicates just how much art is a part of life. The common philosophy among artists is that art imitates life and life imitates art. But I would take it a step further by declaring that art is indeed a lifestyle and that a life embraced is in essence art itself. Living out life to the fullest and truest manifestation of oneself is indeed true art. So from my perspective I clearly see how true art can seem artless. The challenge from Lu in this chapter, I feel, is one of thinking outside the box. Don't be afraid to re-invent yourself multiple times through-out your life for at each stage you are becoming. A life truly embraced is always going to be in the process of becoming more like itself.
The last part here: "The Master allows things to happen.
She shapes events as they come.She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself." Illustrates how ones approach to living should be not too forced but balanced by way of the wisdom of knowing when to interfere with its course and when to peacefully co-exist with the flow of it. Shaping events as they come is very proactive. The act of it says that the person doing it is not going to allow opportunities to pass untaken. On the other hand the non-act of allowing things to happen shows confidence in a higher orchestration of things for a specific outcome, one that is in harmony with all life. So reservedly stepping out of the way to let the "Way" speak for itself shows faith, strength, and readiness.
She shapes events as they come.She steps out of the way and lets the Tao speak for itself." Illustrates how ones approach to living should be not too forced but balanced by way of the wisdom of knowing when to interfere with its course and when to peacefully co-exist with the flow of it. Shaping events as they come is very proactive. The act of it says that the person doing it is not going to allow opportunities to pass untaken. On the other hand the non-act of allowing things to happen shows confidence in a higher orchestration of things for a specific outcome, one that is in harmony with all life. So reservedly stepping out of the way to let the "Way" speak for itself shows faith, strength, and readiness.
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