The Dao Is Open website is devoted to the cultivation of Dao (Tao) and De (Te), as exemplified in the works of Laozi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).


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

Translation and Commentary by Nina


	Dao De Jing Chapter 24 One who tries to start a fire doesn't have firm footing. One who analyzes himself doesn't become prominent. One who pays attention to himself doesn't open up. One who cuts himself down is without achievement. One who brags about himself doesn't grow. Those who are influenced by Dao say: Preparing too much food is wasted effort. Any living thing might be hated. Therefore, one who has desires will never rest. Commentary: 24 ~ Are you overworking yourself? It might seem like there's always so much that needs to be done - sometimes there are more tasks ahead of you than could ever be accomplished in the allotted time span. With the burdens of work, family, social obligations, household chores, bills that need to be paid, phone calls to return, email to answer, and still fitting in a little time to pursue a favorite hobby or activity, or spending time on personal goals - something will obviously not get done. And yet, you start out in the morning with the objective of completing everything, and doing it perfectly. No wonder you feel stressed out! Maybe you're expending too much energy on each task. -One who tries to start a fire doesn't have firm footing. In ancient China fires were started by igniting a little spark then blowing on it repeatedly until the wood began flaming. Picture in your mind a person trying to stand still while blowing all the air out of his lungs over and over. He'd eventually get very dizzy and start losing his balance. This can be likened to any project you might start. You might be in such a hurry to get things going that you go full throttle before it's necessary. Maybe you're trying to impress your boss with how quickly you can get things underway. If you move too quickly at the beginning you can lose your balance by expending a lot of unnecessary energy. -One who analyzes himself doesn't become prominent. Some people get so involved in the pre-planning stages that by the time they get to the real work they've already exhausted themselves. You might want to make sure that no detail has been overlooked before you actually begin. It's like the carpenter who's told to measure twice then cut once. That doesn't mean you have to measure a hundred times! Maybe you spend so much time in self-analysis, trying to do the exactly right thing, that your actions are totally based on trying not to be a failure. If you spend so much energy on negative thoughts, there wouldn't be much energy left to actually tackle the task at hand and succeed at it. -One who pays attention to himself doesn't open up. By being self-conscious you might miss a great opportunity. If you're so riveted on your own performance without considering how what you do can work best within the context of what the group is trying to achieve, then you won't see how others can help you. If you have a sense of arrogance about what you're doing - as though no one else would have to ability to accomplish what you can - then you'd always be looking for ways to prove how incompetent others are. That's a ridiculous waste of energy. -One who cuts himself down is without achievement. How much time do you devote to thoughts that you'll never be good enough? Maybe every time a spark ignites within you that tells you that you really do have the ability to fulfill the task at hand, you start counting off all the reasons why you're inadequate. What happens when you finally finish the job? Do you then look for all the flaws, condemning yourself for not being a better person? If all that energy is being expended in cutting yourself down, how could you ever hope to finish anything? There might always be a project you've started but never finished - adding another task to the list. -One who brags about himself doesn't grow. On the other hand, you might be the kind of person who spends a lot of time telling other people what a wonderful job you've done. You heap praise on yourself and spend lots of time crowing like a rooster on top of a hen house - look at me! Tell me how great I am! By doing that you run the risk of not giving others the opportunity to show you how things could be done better. You might become so involved in singing your praises that you'll never progress beyond being a boring braggart. -Those who are influenced by Dao say: -Preparing too much food is wasted effort. All of the things listed above are ways that each person can expend unnecessary energy. -Any living thing might be hated. There's really no way to be liked or admired by everyone. -Therefore, one who has desires will never rest. As long as you want to be perceived as someone who's "special" and never makes a mistake, you'll always be stressed out. Look for ways that you over-work yourself in your daily life - and ask yourself why you do it. Dao Is Open Site Map \| BY: Nina \| Guodian Laozi \| DDJ Concordance \| Comparisons \| From the DIO Forum \| BY: Bao Pu \| By: Joshua \| 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 \|