"When one desires to take over an empire and act on it (interfere with it).
I see that he will not succeed.
The empire is a spiritual thing, and should not be acted on.
He who acts on it harms it.
He who holds on to it loses it.
Among creatures some lead and some follow.
Some blow hot and some blow cold.
Some are strong and some are weak.
Some may break and some may fall.
Therefore the sage discards the extremes, the extravagant, and the excessive."
(Tao Te Ching, 29)
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The text written above by Lao Tzu somehow, as I would interpret it, gives us an idea of how dangerous human (or creature) interference is, and why should the people rely on the Tao; the 'great'.
As how people nowadays would say in times of inefficiency or struggle, we are 'just' human beings (Tao lang). Now, why 'just'? I mean, why would one say so: "just human beings"? Why devalue the worth of the human beings? We are the 'most's among the creations; we are the greatest, but why 'just'? Is the one who says so presumes that he/she could be more than that? Would he/she suppose that he/she can be better off if he/she was not 'just' a person?
Here, we will see the humility of one in addressing that he/she is only a "just". That he/she, as a person, has with him/her various shortcomings and weaknesses. Also, since human beings have with them different (or contradictory) tastes and preferences, they become unstable and unpredictable, making them incompetent enough to handle things up. And another thing, that in doing things, humans beings have the tendency to carry things out inappropriately or incorrectly. All of these are because that one is 'just' a person; 'just' an imperfect being.
But the Tao, is different. Unlike the human beings, it is perfect. And that's why human being (the imperfect ones) should not interfere, nor act on things, because it will just end up that the former will ruin things up. What one should do, as expected to a sage (example-man), is to acknowledge his/her imperfectness, stay on his/her limits, and let the Tao do it's way.
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The text written above by Lao Tzu somehow, as I would interpret it, gives us an idea of how dangerous human (or creature) interference is, and why should the people rely on the Tao; the 'great'.
As how people nowadays would say in times of inefficiency or struggle, we are 'just' human beings (Tao lang). Now, why 'just'? I mean, why would one say so: "just human beings"? Why devalue the worth of the human beings? We are the 'most's among the creations; we are the greatest, but why 'just'? Is the one who says so presumes that he/she could be more than that? Would he/she suppose that he/she can be better off if he/she was not 'just' a person?
Here, we will see the humility of one in addressing that he/she is only a "just". That he/she, as a person, has with him/her various shortcomings and weaknesses. Also, since human beings have with them different (or contradictory) tastes and preferences, they become unstable and unpredictable, making them incompetent enough to handle things up. And another thing, that in doing things, humans beings have the tendency to carry things out inappropriately or incorrectly. All of these are because that one is 'just' a person; 'just' an imperfect being.
But the Tao, is different. Unlike the human beings, it is perfect. And that's why human being (the imperfect ones) should not interfere, nor act on things, because it will just end up that the former will ruin things up. What one should do, as expected to a sage (example-man), is to acknowledge his/her imperfectness, stay on his/her limits, and let the Tao do it's way.
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