A review by emmavani
Tao Te Ching by Laozi
5.0
I had the great luck of bringing this as my “emergency book” on a day trip to London. The car broke down 1.5 hours into the drive, so I had a few hours to wait on the side of the motorway for the car retrieval people to come find me. What a perfect book to have with me.
“Those who wish to take the world and control it
They cannot succeed
The world is a sacred instrument
One cannot control it
The one who controls it will fail
The one who grasps it will lose”
What a perfect message to ponder when your plans get ruined!
Lao Tzu wants you to lose your concept of self, expand your circle of empathy and even identity to include the whole world. Lose your attachment to everything, and nothing can hurt you. It’s a beautiful message that conflicts with my natural desire to hold everything and everyone I love as tight as possible. But this wonderful, slim, classic reminds me to let go of my preconceptions of everything, and simply be.
“Those who wish to take the world and control it
They cannot succeed
The world is a sacred instrument
One cannot control it
The one who controls it will fail
The one who grasps it will lose”
What a perfect message to ponder when your plans get ruined!
Lao Tzu wants you to lose your concept of self, expand your circle of empathy and even identity to include the whole world. Lose your attachment to everything, and nothing can hurt you. It’s a beautiful message that conflicts with my natural desire to hold everything and everyone I love as tight as possible. But this wonderful, slim, classic reminds me to let go of my preconceptions of everything, and simply be.