Tao Chapter 46

This passage was interesting because I think it plays to what we can understand and identify with in these modern times. The passage goes as follows:

"When a country is in harmony with the Tao, the factories make trucks and tractors. When a country goes counter to the Tao, warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.

There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy.

Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe."

The first part sets up for the last two passages statement. The last two passages speak the most to me, because it seems to be more of a guide to how an individual should approach a situation. Personally, after applying certain aspects of the Tao to my own life, I feel more confident and relaxed than I did before. However other parts befuddled me, primarily because they either go against how I see the world or because they simply don't make sense to me.

This passage lays out the idea that fear can get in the way of what people would like to do with their lives. Since we've all felt fear at some point, we can all understand how powerful it is. It can be simple disgust and ignorance, all the way up to paranoia and phobias. What the Tao tells us is to let go of what we feel frightens us, we can achieve anything we put our minds to.