Misconception Three
Some people say Laozi sought to keep ordinary people ignorant and deceive them.
- This is a misunderstanding of Chapter 3 of the Tao Te Ching：Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not compete. Do not prize rare goods, and the people will not steal. Do not display (xian) objects of desire, and the people's hearts will not be disturbed.
Thus the sage empties their hearts, fills their bellies, weakens their ambitions, and strengthens their bones, always keeping the people free of knowledge and desire.- Do not exalt the worthy: Do not promote people regarded as virtuous.：Because once you promote virtuous people, everyone will compete to be virtuous.
Once a benchmark is set, everyone starts competing. - Do not prize rare goods, and the people will not steal: Do not create so many luxury brands. Some people push themselves relentlessly to earn money to buy luxury goods, and when they cannot earn enough, they end up stealing and becoming thieves.
- Do not display objects of desire: Do not put desirable things on display before ordinary people, or their hearts will become unsettled.
- Empty their hearts, fill their bellies, weaken their ambitions, and strengthen their bones.
- These 12 Chinese characters of wisdom, together with the 12 Chinese characters of wisdom in Chapter 80—a total of 24 characters—are enough to bring happiness back into our lives.
- Empty their hearts: Do not let your desires grow out of control, and do not constantly dwell on gains and losses in everything you do. Your heart will immediately relax and become calm, and you will feel at ease.
This is the way to truly win—to win without losing. - Otherwise, if you are always thinking about how much money a job can earn you, you will be led around and constrained by that goal. Even if you earn the money, you still will not feel at ease.
- There is a saying circulating online that many people like to quote:
- I feel caught up in a hectic work life. I have gained fame, wealth, and status, but I always feel as though even when I win, I lose.
- This means gaining fame, wealth, and status while your desires are inflated and you are struggling with yourself, fixated, and conflicted.
Although you have gained material things, you have lost your sense of ease. That is what it means to lose even when you win. - Fill their bellies: Eat proper meals and nourish yourself well.
- Weaken their ambitions: Dial back those overblown ambitions and desires within, and live true to yourself.
- Strengthen their bones: Exercise your body.
- What people in high-pressure jobs experience: They cannot relax, they cannot eat properly, their ambitions grow higher by the day, and their health grows worse by the day.
- How could Laozi get all of this right? Could he foresee the future?
- It is because Laozi understood the natural order and the Great Dao: nonbeing can give rise to all existence.
- By grasping the source, Laozi could know how the world would develop from there. He could anticipate it because that is the law of the universe: it is a cycle.
- When material development reaches its extreme, this is inevitably what happens.
- This is not about keeping people ignorant; it is about Laozi wanting people to return to happiness.
- Do not exalt the worthy: Do not promote people regarded as virtuous.：Because once you promote virtuous people, everyone will compete to be virtuous.
Misconception 4
Does the “non-action” Laozi speaks of mean “lying flat”?
- At a basic level, non-action means acting in harmony with the natural course of things.
- Chapter 37 of the Tao Te Ching：The Dao always practices non-action, yet leaves nothing undone.
- Chapter 48 of the Tao Te Ching：Act without forcing, and nothing is left undone
- Much of the underlying logic of business thinking comes from the Tao Te Ching