How To Govern (Lao Tzu chapter 57)

A Spanish built fortress along the Florida coast, near St. Augustine, with almost spongy walls that absorbed cannon balls like bbs into styrofoam, looking out over waters that played a role in the Florida Holy Wars of the 1560s, with Catholic Spaniards fighting French Huguenots for who got to tell the Timucuan people about Jesus. Of course, they also wanted natural resources. Photo: Jeff Mallinson

Whether we are trying to govern a state, a business, our homes, or ourselves, chapter 57 of the Tao Te Ching offers important wisdom. We manage best we we don’t force things, micromanage, hold on too tightly, or try to control everything. This is the art of acting by not acting, called Wu Wei in Chinese. We render it here and in most cases throughout our interpretive translation of the text as “surfing the Tao.”

57.

When governing, be straightforward. 

When outfoxing enemies, use cunning.

Manage the world by not trying to control it. 

How do I know this is the way?

Like this… 

The more legalistic and restrictive a regime is

the poorer the people become.

When people turn to stocking up on weapons

the country descends into chaos.

The more technology advances,

the more horrific the destruction.

When you see rules posted everywhere,

it’s a sure sign that lawlessness abounds. 

As a sage once said:

I surf the Tao 

and leave the people 

to wake up on their own.

I rest in tranquility,

and let the people attain 

their own alignment. 

I foster minimalism

and watch the people prosper.

I remain detached

and let the people discover 

simplicity.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive weekly translation and a brief audio and written commentary on each chapter, become a patron for as little as $5 a month. This rendering by Jeff and Stacie is intended to make the Tao Te Ching readily understandable without extensive footnotes or historical background. It makes use of various resources, including original Chinese and subsequent commentaries (ancient and modern). Their focus is not on precision related to the original Chinese (for that, consider checking out this or this) so much as faithfully “translating” ancient idioms and concepts into understandable idioms and concepts for Western readers who most likely grew up being directly or indirectly influenced by Greek, Roman, and Christian European ideas and texts. They hope to have the finished publication available by June 2020.