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In order for someone to be extremely superior, those beneath them must recognize them as having authority. After that, those who feel inferior will soon try to get intimate with them and give praise to them. Shortly thereafter they start fearing them. Shortly thereafter they try to humiliate them. When sincerity is lacking there can be no truthfulness. What are they deliberating? How to come up with words that'll be to their own advantage. When a task gets accomplished through much effort and hard work, let the common people say that they did it naturally by themselves.   Commentary: 17 ~ Prestige -In order for someone to be extremely superior, those beneath them must recognize them as having authority. -After that, those who feel inferior will soon try to get intimate with them and give praise to them. -Shortly thereafter they start fearing them. -Shortly thereafter they try to humiliate them. We all have things we’re just naturally good at. Some people have an ability to fix cars, some to be great chefs, some to create beautiful music, some to write exquisite words, etc. It’s strange how society determines that some people’s talents are more valuable than others’, and there’s a tendency to give much admiration and respect to those who can accomplish certain things. Look at the way people adore movie stars, performers, athletes, politicians and those who are in the public eye. It can seem like a wonderful thing - to be admired and respected like that - but it can also cause a lot of trouble. There would always be people who wanted to attach themselves to you, pretending to be friends so they could get some of the adoration you’re getting. There would be others who would want to tear you down so they could take your place. If you want to be held in high regard, then other people will have to see you as superior to themselves. Being admired by others might seem like a good position to be in, as when you have prestige you end up with a bevy of followers who are always trying to be your friends and telling you how wonderful you are. But then your minions might start fearing you because of the power they feel you have over them. They become afraid of losing your attention by doing something inappropriate. Out of this fear they feel the need to take you down a peg as a protective mechanism, so they start trying to humiliate you. -When sincerity is lacking there can be no truthfulness. -What are they deliberating? How to come up with words that'll be to their own advantage. Lies are produced by the person who wants to be regarded as superior as well as from the people who see him as superior. It's a wicked web of deception, each trying to determine what words to use that would give them the upper hand. -When a task gets accomplished through much effort and hard work, let the common people say that they did it naturally by themselves. The Laozi suggests that if you find yourself in the position of being a leader or boss, you might be better off not thinking of yourself as being superior nor making others feel like you're superior to them. Do the work that has to be done, but when the task has been accomplished let everyone else feel like they did it themselves without your intervention or assistance. There's no need to be praised for all the work you did - otherwise there's sure to be resentment eventually. Alternate translation: Someone who wants to be a big shot has to have people beneath them making them feel that way. The admirers would try to snuggle up by telling the big shot how great he is. The admirers would then get afraid of what the big shot might do to them. Then they’d try to make them feel like they weren’t so hot after all. Since they weren’t being honest about what they felt in the first place, they could never tell the truth. What are they thinking about? How to say whatever will get them what they want, so they’d never be telling the truth. It‘d be better for everyone if there were no big shots. Dao Is Open Site Map | BY: Nina | Guodian Laozi | DDJ Concordance | Comparisons | Who was Laozi | | Return Home | Laozi's Dao De Jing | Your Dao De Jing | Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) | Links | Meditation | Dao (Tao) is Open Forum | Book List | Other Stuff | |
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