"...What 'is' (Tao) firmly established cannot be uprooted.
What 'is' firmly grasped cannot slip away.
It will be honoured from generation to generation
Thus, cultivate Virtue..."
(Tao Te Ching, 54)
It is said in the above Tao Te Ching that the Tao, in its attachment to the whole humanity, is eternally 'firm'; can never be deracinated nor fade away. Indeed, its glory will last forever; passing "from generation to generation". All of these are all because of the Virtue (Te).
Let us say, a human being that adhered to the Tao is like a 'tree', and the Tao is the 'soil'/'land'. Now what holds them together tightly is the Te which is the 'roots' of the 'tree'. The Te, as the roots, restricts the 'tree' from being uprooted and be separated to that of the 'soil'. Nevertheless, it could be a bad analogy, for the Tao is not to be "held up" (like the 'tree' to the 'soil') by a human being. But the point here is that the Te is the middle factor that unifies the two strongly. Once a person cultivates Te, he/she will be resolutely connected to the Tao.
Eureka! A good analogy would be like the Tao is a 'road'/'way', then the human beings are the 'cars' that ride along the said 'road'. The Te there is the 'railings'/'sidelines' of the 'road'; the very barrier/line that restricts the 'cars' from going off the 'road'. Decisively, it causes the 'cars' to keep in touch with the 'road'; to follow it 'til where it bends. Thus, again, once a person cultivates Te (which means structuring up restrictive 'railings'/'barriers'/'sidelines'), he/she will be securely attached to the Tao.
Thus, Te is an important factor for the Tao to be followed by the people, and for the people to follow the Tao. Without it, there will be a great disaster; a lot of off-roads. Try to imagine a 'road' without 'railings' or 'sidelines'. Would the 'cars' know that they are not along the 'way' anymore without restriction?
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