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The heavens have been around for a long time and the earth continues to endure. Everything in the universe, therefore, has the ability to be around for a long time and to continue to endure. Whatever doesn't exist solely for itself, in that way has the ability to be around for a long time. It's natural for a wise person to: Allow herself to stay behind, yet she still moves forward. Have little concern for herself, yet she continues to endure. Doesn't she seem to be unselfish? That's how she can attain true selfishness.   Commentary: 7 ~ Being Selfish -The heavens have been around for a long time and the earth continues to endure. -Everything in the universe, therefore, has the ability to be around for a long time and to continue to endure. -Whatever doesn't exist solely for itself, in that way has the ability to be around for a long time. Of all the things we can look at to try to make measurements of what's existed the longest, we'd have to say the heavens and earth have been around longer than anything else. We might wonder what it is about the heavens and earth that's enabled them to exist for as long as they have. Well, we can't really know that, but The Laozi suggests that we might be able to find some patterns in Nature which can teach us lessons about our own lives. The heavens and earth aren’t concerned about their own existence. Well, the heavens and earth don’t have the mental ability to be concerned about whether they exist or not - or for how long they’ll continue to exist. They also don’t have bodies and organs that can stop working. So, how can we find anything about them that we can use to give us tips on how to live a longer life? All we as humans can do is find ways to live out our natural lifespan without it being cut short. The Laozi seems to be suggesting that if we aren’t so caught up in wonder- ing why we’re on this earth, what purpose we might have here and tyring to make our lives fulfill that sense of purpose, we can realize that all those thoughts are centered around ourselves. It’s like we have a need to find a purpose for ourselves, which is something the heavens and earth don’t have to do. Even though they don’t put any conscious thought into benefiting anything else (trying to find a purpose), their mere existence benefits every living thing. -It's natural for a wise person to: -Allow herself to stay behind, yet she still moves forward. -Have little concern for herself, yet she continues to endure. A comparison is then made to the natural actions of a person who's learned a bit of wisdom from the heavens and the earth. By letting go of needing to feel her existence must have a purpose, she's quite comfortable remaining behind while others are rushing to lead everyone else. However, she’s still able to accomplish whatever needs to be done and her actions are beneficial to everyone with whom she comes into contact. She isn't really concerned for her own well-being, but just allows everything she does to benefit others. However, even without paying much attention to herself, she finds she’s able to benefit others and be able to do that for a long time. -Doesn't she seem to be unselfish? -That's how she can attain true selfishness. Doesn't that sound like she's become totally unselfish? As though her only concern is for others? She's actually attained complete selfishness. By bringing joy into the lives of others, her own joy is increased. By not thinking so much about herself, she has less stress when dealing with the rest of the world. Alternate translation: The sky has been up there for a long time and the earth keeps spinning. Everything can live out its natural life span. If you don’t think about yourself so much, every day can be beautiful. Someone who realizes that: Doesn’t push herself ahead of others, but she still gets where she’s going. Doesn’t worry about herself, but she still survives. It sounds like she’s more interested in other people’s happiness, doesn’t it? Actually, that’s how she finds true happiness. 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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