The Tao - Living Without Striving

20th Verse

Give up learning and you will be free
from all your cares.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear?
Should I fear desolation
when there is abundance?
Should I fear darkness
when that light is shining everywhere?
In spring, some go to the park and climb the terrace,
but I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Most people have too much;
I alone seem to be missing something.
Mine is indeed the mind of an ignoramus
in its unadulterated simplicity.
I am but a guest in this world.
While others rush about to get things done,
I accept what is offered.
I alone seem foolish,
earning little, spending less.
Other people strive for fame;
I avoid the limelight,
preferring to be left alone.
Indeed, I seem like an idiot:
no mind, no worries.
I drift like a wave on the ocean.
I blow as aimless as the wind.
All men settle down in their grooves;
I alone am stubborn and remain outside.
But wherein I am most different from others is
in knowing to take sustenance from the great Mother!


This is a little deep, even for me. But Wayne Dyer explains that this is about relinquishing the struggle of life and "accepting life as it is provided by the great Mother" (aka God, Higher Power, Tao). It's about surrender. It's about Step Three again! It's about living in the moment. This is one of my current favorite affirmations:

It is all perfect. God's love is everywhere and forgets on one. I trust in this force to guide me, and I am not allowing ego to enter now.