- 52 -
If I have even a little sense,
I should walk the Great Way,
and my only fear would be straying from it.
The Great Way is smooth and easy,
yet people prefer the devious side paths.
That is why there is corruption.
While farmers lose their land,
government officials spend money
on weapons instead of cures
and the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn.
To wear fancy clothes and ornaments,
stuffing oneself with food and drink,
amassing wealth to the extent of not knowing
what to do with it,
is like being a robber and
is called the crime of excess.
This is not in keeping with the Tao.
~
Commentary
Lao Tzu noted the flaws of society around 2,500 years ago and sadly those same flaws are still very much evident today: the crime of excess, of accumulating ever-more money, possessions and power while others are penniless and starving. Why should we function like this? To behave in such a way is to be out of alignment with the Tao.
The Great Way of the Tao is the essence of simplicity itself, but it’s not a path that’s particularly attractive or alluring to the majority of people, whose egos are compelled by the accumulation of wealth and power at the expense of others. “Getting ahead” and “getting what you want out of life” is still the general modus operandi of our society. And it is the root of the corruption we see on individual and collective levels. Governments (and the various other institutions of society) focus on power, supremacy and strong economies rather than harmony, balance, equality and genuine regard for all. This is not the Great Way Lao Tzu speaks of — it’s one of the ‘devious side-paths’!
In order to live a life that’s in harmony with the Tao, in order to flow with life and achieve inner peace, crimes of excess have to go! This doesn’t mean we all have to become cave-dwelling ascetics. But it does mean that, while ensuring we take care of our basic needs, the real treasures that we pursue are inner treasures, which are treasures of the lasting kind. Are we willing to take the road less travelled and live a life in harmony with the Tao rather than be driven by the petty whims and desires of the ego?
It’s a simple choice, although not necessarily an easy one. But it is the choice between lasting peace and a life of perpetual craving, striving and continual frustration and dissatisfaction. Once the choice is made and the winding side-paths abandoned, “the Great Way is smooth and easy”. We step into the flow of life as never before.
