Daodejing Chapter 66: Be Good at Lying Low

Early hunting, Shenzhen Bay Park, Summer 2025

From the moment we are conceived, we are under the influence. I could even say assault. A genetic inheritance designed for a single purpose. To push us out into the universe as another small token that perturbs the probabilities of perpetuating this particular form of negentropy. This unfolding program will dominate our future, but not alone. The sounds, the diet, the impressions, all work on us too, and never stop until we stop. And what can we do? We can watch it all happen. We might even attempt to understand. A philosophy of existence and nothingness I can accept must fit all observed reality, however painful and wonderful they are. The Daodejing makes the attempt, and somehow, by some miraculous way, stops short of leaping to what and who it cannot know.

“The rivers and seas can be King of all the valley streams because they are good at lying low. Likewise the sage, if he wishes to stay above the people, must speak humbly to position himself below the people. If he wishes to lead the people, he must put his self-interests behind the people. Therefore when the sage stays above the people, they don’t feel his weight. When he is ahead of the people, they don’t feel harmed. Therefore the whole world happily supports him and never gets tired of him. Is it not that simply because he doesn’t contend with anyone, so no one will contend with him?”

We didn’t ask for any of this and like enraged children who don’t know who or what is hurting us, we lash out, making things worse for each other and ourselves. Do we have to belittle others to raise ourselves up? Where is all this contention coming from, if not from our fear of not having enough, of running out of time and the resources to perpetuate it.

How do I say with words what is in my mind? I know my unconscious mind looks at every situation, interaction, and opportunity through the lenses of preserving and extending my existence. I am capable of doing almost anything to survive, with my feeble consciousness looking past the inevitable event, almost sliding past reality as if it isn’t there, like a hole in space. That geasa, so helpful to Nature’s purpose, is the source of everything creative and horrible we ever produced.

Good ideas exist; we have them. The past was not better than today and tomorrow shows all indications and potential to be even better. Yet suffering and inequality seem part and parcel of our journey. We may be motivated by fear and self-interest, true enough, and good ideas will always be mixed and jumbled with the accumulated sediment of bad ideas. If The Daodejing is not the best example it is a worthy representative. I discover myself coming around to that old bedrock — acceptance. Accepting the hole in our rationality means saying, yes, it is there, and whether I look closely at it or not at all, that fear does not have to inspire my worst behaviour.

There are those who will say I misunderstand and misinterpret the meaning of The Daodejing. But how can any of us say we have the meaning? Above or below, I could not say, but supporting and lifting each other up should be our mutual ambition and motive every day. Out of this mire of fear and indifference we can set down this weight that drags at us, reaching for a place that Nature would not suspect.

May you have a wonderful weekend; Shenzhen Bay Park, Summer 2025

[Author’s Note: For those interested, the translation used for this series is Dao De Jing, translated by Ju Yan’an. It was my first and has become my favourite translation. Find it here.]

[Author’s Note: Thank you for taking the time to visit. All pictures were taken by the author or family member, unless otherwise noted.]