When I was presented with the issue of choosing ten lines in Tao Te Ching, I found it difficult to isolate just one passage. So instead of adding lines that i believed to be irrelevant or less important to the issue at hand, I chose to pick lines from 3 separate passages. The first that i chose came from page 8 and dealt with an analogy utilizing water to convey non action or passiveness. It states,
"Best to be like water
Which benefits the ten thousand things
And does not contend
It pools where humans disdain to dwell." (8)
This is something I found to be of the utmost importance because Lao-Tzu stresses a laisseiz-faire style and the being of non-action. When you understand the passage, you understand that water stops when it comes to a blockage in its flow, whereas if humans encounter a problem, instead of being patient and using the Tao of non-action, humans fight and try to find ways around the situation. There is no patience in their action and therefore it is right o be like water.
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It is also interesting to think about the strength of water. It pools when blocked, but it also keeps seeking the low point and will flow again, given the chance. And the slow steady flowing of water over stone creates valleys. It is weak but strong...
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