…about Tao

If I had the least bit of wisdom I could follow the path of Tao quite well

My only fear would be trying to go my own way

The Great Path is simple and direct yet people love to take the side-routes

See how magnificent the courts have become

The women dress in colorful gowns

The men carry well-crafted swords

Food and drink overflow

Wealth and finery abound

Yet in the shadow of all this splendor

the fields grow barren

the granaries are all but empty

I say this pomp at the expense of others is like the boasting of thieves after a looting

Surely it is contrary to Tao

Surely it cuts against the grain of the whole empire

…Verse 53 from “Tao Te Ching”

Lao-Tzu, translated by Jonathan Star
ISBN: 978-158542-618-8