Tao Te Ching 30 (Teaching 2)

Because the Master believes in himself, he doesn’t try to convince others.
Because he is content with himself, he doesn’t need others’ approval.
Because he accepts himself, the whole world accepts him
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I can’t count the number of times in my life I have verified this teaching – in two very different ways.

First, the vast majority of the people I have admired the most are those men and women whose self-acceptance and contentment give them a quiet confidence that isn’t dependent on the acceptance of others. These people rarely attempt to convince others to think the way they do, because they don’t need others to think the way they do.

Second, the vast majority of the times at which I’ve least admired myself are when I try too hard to convince others about something or when I’m caught in the snare of seeking the approval of others. It’s at those moments when I feel least acceptable and accepted. The root of my discontent at those moments lies in my lack of self-acceptance.

I’m experiencing the peace of self-contentment more and more as time passes. In turn, I’m experiencing the freedom that comes with letting go of many of my conceptual truths, or at least of the need to convince others about them. That’s good for me and for others in my life.

It always feels good to unpack after a long trip. I’ve come “home” with a lot of baggage to unload. During my travels I bought way too many truth trinkets and conceptual souvenirs that seemed appealing when I saw them in a foreign place. But, back home, they sit on a shelf for a while and then they get thrown away because they don’t look or feel right at home, the way they did on the foreign shelf.

There’s no place like home.