One of my favorites. I’m sorry I haven’t been on the ball with this – but I’ve been living the tao! I hope you all find this as interesting as you have the previous posts, and I look forward to sharing with you. Please comment!

Verse 3.

Putting a value on status
will create contentiousness.
If you overvalue possessions,
then people begin to steal.
By not displaying what is desirable,
you will cause the peoples hearts to remain undisturbed.

The sage governs
by emptying minds and hearts,
by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

Practice not doing…
When action is pure and selfless,
Everything settles into its own perfect place.

—

Whilst seemingly obvious, there is a depth to this verse that is not immediately apparent. Overall, it is a verse about priority and contentment.

Lets start at the beginning:
We are prone to seeking out higher status, be it social, monetary or intellectual. But status ultimately leads to separation, and isolation from the eternal, spiritual, and from unity with all.
How many times has your judgment prevented you from getting to know someone who could have changed your life? You will probably never know.
By valuing status, we condemn ourselves to solitude. And limit the pool of positive experience available to us. After all, when the day comes that you are about to pass on, will your status or possessions really matter to you? Or is it the memories and experiences that will truly matter? I know I would rather look back on my life knowing that I did what was necessary to bond with all, indiscriminately, secure in the knowledge that I found happiness in places that superficial judgment may have prevented me from.

Consider this notion: Does desire condemn you to slavery? What happens when you want to buy something? You either spend, and need to replace the money it took from you, or you work your arse off – most likely doing a job that does not inspire you – until you have enough money to achieve your desire. Right up until something else comes along that you want, wherein the cycle starts over. You enslave yourself, in order to further your materialistic sense of status. And likely miss out on opportunities to share in the experiences of others, all because ‘you have to be up for work early’.

The notion of ‘practice not doing’ is not an advocation of laziness. Rather in acting – devoid of ego – in the interest of creativity. By ignoring ego and trusting your true self, the motivation will materialize to spend your time sharing, being creative, and inspired.

Wayne Dyer put it nicely in his book ‘Change your Thoughts, Change your Life’ when he said of this verse;
‘There is no way to happiness, rather happiness is the way’.

Trusting yourself and your instinct is important. Practice being happy and grateful that you have the chance to experience happiness, and start finding it everywhere! Don’t let your ego run the show.

Thank you for reading x