The Way and its Power

This chapter caught my attention because of the philosophies created during and after the period of the Warring States, specifically Daoism. The grand scheme of conquering and being conquered is very interesting, and significant, but even more remarkable, is how through all the violence, man can detach himself from the survival mind frame to reflect, reminisce, and evaluate himself, his surroundings and how it all fits in the worldly equation, to ultimately create a philosophy of life, society, human interpretation (of basically everything), and how people should function and behave, in the hopes for peace and prosperity within a civilization, but more importantly within oneself.
Daoism ,like Confucianism, is exactly that.
In the core of Daoism, the Daodejing stands as the core text of the philosophy, not religion, with small verses of nature, simplicity, how to live life, what philosophically Daoism is, excetera.
The verse in our History book ,in p.212, talks about simplicity, and completely motivated me to find more verses from the Daodejing. Here are three verse from the Daodejing about Qualities, distractions and the continuity of Tao. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Comment and make your own interpretation on those and any other poem that connect to you personally from the site: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/texts/taote-ex.html


Distraction
Too much color blinds the eye
Too much tone deafens the ear
Too much taste dulls the palate
Too much play maddens the mind
Too much desire tears the heart.
The sage provides for the belly, not for the senses;
He lets go of sensation and accepts substance.

14. The Continuity of Tao

Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beyond form;
Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beyond sound;
Grasped at but cannot be touched - it is beyond reach;
These depthless things evade definition,
And blend into a single mystery.
In its rising there is no light,
In its falling there is no darkness,
A continuous thread beyond description,
Lining what can not exist,
Its form formless,
Its image nothing,
Its name mystery,
Meet it, it has no face,
Follow it, it has no back.
Understand the past, but attend the present;
In this way you know the continuity of Tao,
Which is its essence.

Qualities

When Beauty is recognised in the World
Ugliness has been learned;
When Good is recognised in the World
Evil has been learned.
In this way:
Alive and dead are abstracted from growth;
Difficult and easy are abstracted from progress;
Far and near are abstracted from position;
Strong and weak are abstracted from control;
Song and speech are abstracted from harmony;
After and before are abstracted from sequence.
The sage controls without authority,
And teaches without words;
He lets all things rise and fall,
Nurtures, but does not interfere,
Gives without demanding,
And is content.

Go to the link and read poems # 1, 4, 10, 16, 25, 29, 34, & 60. They'll help you grasp what Daoism is better (if a definition can be grasped).