Verse 75

75.

When taxes are too high,

people go hungry.

When the government is too intrusive,

people lose their spirit.

Act for the people’s benefit.

Trust them; leave them alone.

The words of this verse have a literal meaning but they also point to a deeper, fundamental aspect of the Tao: specifically, that it doesn’t try to control, manipulate or coerce anything.

Such a desire could only stem from mistrusting the process of life, the root of which lies in our ignorance of the true nature of reality. It’s ironic that the things we try hardest to control are often the very things we end up stifling and destroying.

The innate good tends to spontaneously manifest if it’s allowed to do so – and it doesn’t need to be cajoled or artificially coerced. Often such attempts at control only obstruct the flow.

We can best trust others, ourselves and the process of life not by getting stuck upon the changeable surface-level, but by going beneath it and seeing the Tao within all. With this comes the realisation that we don’t need to manage, govern and control anyone or anything. We can allow the Tao to direct life. Because ultimately, whether we like it or not, it’s going to anyway.