58

When the Dude is lazy and smokes a J,

Adversaries are friendly and fawning.

When Walter is violent and threatens plan B,

Brats stonewall and deceive.

Feeling down in the dumps may give way to joy,

Just as contentment may yield to catastrophe.

Who can say what makes, a man, man?

This whole fucking thing! We’re sympathizing here.

Let me tell you something, pendejo—

Drafts are always compromised,

And simple plans become complex.

Humans have always been like this, down through the generations.

So the Stranger cultivates without cussing,

Panders without perversion,

Is unnamed but amiable,

And a smarter feller than ourselves—

Though that’s not a handle he would self-apply.

Tao Te Ching: 58

When the government is unobtrusive,

The people remain sincere.

But when the government interferes with their lives,

The people contend with each other for advantage.

Good fortune follows from bad fortune,

Just as bad fortune follows from good—

No one knows what lies just around the corner.

Thus there is no right way,

Because what is right soon deviates into what is wrong,

And excellence is soon beset by the ominous.

For a long time now

The people have struggled to figure out how to live.

So the sage cultivates a sharp wit,

But does not use it to cut the dullards down.

He speaks honestly, but does not insult.

He deals directly, but does not bully.

Though his wisdom illuminates,

It does not blind or dazzle.