Tao Te Ching 64 (Teaching 2)

The Master takes action by letting things take their course. He remains as calm at the end as the beginning. He has nothing, thus has nothing to lose. What he desires is non-desire; what he learns is to unlearn. He simply reminds people of who they have always been. He cares about nothing but the Tao. Thus he can care for all things.
_______________________________________________________

Letting go; letting be; remaining calm at all times. The level of peace in our lives may turn on how often we can say to ourselves, “Let it go” or “Let it be.” In that mindset we are far less reactive and resistant to the vicissitudes of life. We retain energy that is otherwise wasted.

Janis Joplin sang, “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” We profess to be free, when we aren’t. We profess to be seeking freedom, when we aren’t. If our focus in on things, rather than on no-things, then we’re not free.

Peace is found in no longer desiring for life to be other than it is at the moment. Thus, we should desire nothing other than the absence of desire.

Those of us who are a little more advanced in years probably smile at the thought of how much of our learning we’ve had to unlearn. It’s been said that the greatest knowledge is the knowledge that we don’t know, and that the more knowledge we attain, the more we realize what we don’t know.

Have we ever done anything greater for a loved one than helping them to see and appreciate who they are and to feel good about that awareness? Probably not.