Dear Wisdom,
Please help us to better grasp the meaning of one of the oldest and most revered books on earth, the
Tao te Ching: “ Let every day be simple, like a small village with few people. There may be tools to speed things up ten or one hundred times, yet no one will care to use them. There may be boats and carriages, yet they will remain without riders. There may be armor and weaponry, yet they will sit collecting dust. The people must take death seriously and not waste their lives in distant lands. Let them return to the knotting of cord. Let them enjoy their food and care for their clothing. Let them be content in their homes and joyful in the way they live. Neighboring villages are within sight of each other. Roosters and dogs can be heard in the distance. Should a man grow old and die without ever leaving his village, let him feel as though there was nothing he missed.”
Verse 80
Please explain. This verse seems to call for simple lifestyles, avoiding machines like washer and dryers, avoiding boats and carriages. It seems to tell us to stay home and enjoy the simple things in life. Is it okay to travel? Is it acceptable to use computers and time saving devices? Some are content where they are. Some have lists of places yet to visit. Is the one content with life correct? Thank YOU!
Care to comment, Wisdom?
Answer
This verse was describing a man who is not content with life and believes they will be happier somewhere else.
Travel was not easy. Only in the last couple hundred years has it been more available. Now people can fly across the world in a day.
In Tao te Ching’s era, traveling around the world would take most of one’s life.
It wasn’t talking literally of physical travel but rather traveling within. Many never explore their inner world and connect with the spiritual realm.
When one visits this place, they become more aware.
Life is not taken for granted. They develop a respect for all life, and realize all souls want to help each other.
*One realizes they already have all that is needed.
Nothing else will match the level of joy that is found within.
Travel all you want.
*Travel to experience, not to fill the void that only an inner journey can satisfy.
Thank you so much, Wisdom, with love.
You are welcome, little Irish setter.
Irish setters love to run. They can travel many miles in one day.
Irish setters that are confined can become destructive because it is not their nature to be still for long periods of time.
When one travels within, they can find their true nature, which is the soul. They become restless if the soul is then ignored.
So many people think traveling to a different place will make them happy.
*People have, “ bucket lists” but rarely do they put “exploring within” on the list.
Only when they die is it realized the trip within was the only one that was real.
The rest were illusions.
