Tao Te Ching (Chapter 29)
Those who look down upon this world
Will surely take hold and try to change things
But this is a plan
I’ve always seen fail
The world is Tao’s own vessel
It is perfection manifest
It cannot be changed
It cannot be improved
For those who go on tampering, it’s ruined
For those who try to grasp, it’s gone
Allow your life to unfold naturally
Know that it too is a vessel of perfection
Just as you breathe in and breathe out
Sometimes you’re ahead and other times behind
Sometimes you’re strong and other times weak
Sometimes you’re with people and other times alone
To the Sage
All of life is a movement toward perfection
So what need has he
For the excessive, the extravagant, or the extreme?
(By Lao Tsu, translated by Jonathan Star)
The Perfect World
If the world is “Tao’s own vessel’ and is “perfection manifest,” then all the strife, friction and conflict in the world are part of the design. And what better way to foment conflict and discontent than to have “markets” available to trade. And since trading intensifies emotional conflicts which are needed for personal transformation, then trading becomes a perfect vehicle for self-development. “All of life is a movement toward perfection.”
Are You Kidding Me?
Look Terry! Do you really believe we live in a perfect world? Back off, buddy. What’s with the trick question? With your perfect-world question you’re trying to force me to change my words, my worldview. “Those who look down upon this world will surely take hold and try to change things.” “It cannot be changed. It cannot be improved.”
Each trade is the Perfect Trade
Are all winning trades good and are all losing trades bad? Not if the world is a cauldron for self-development. Win or lose, each trade is the perfect trade. What did you learn about yourself and life itself from each trade? What Is “Tao’s own vessel” teaching you? If winning and losing aren’t important for the usual reasons (i.e. making money, losing money), you can relax. “Allow your life to unfold naturally. Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.”
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