60
The Stranger introduces the Dude
In the same way that he introduces himself to the Dude.
That is to say, he only speaks through one side of his mustache,
Humble and unassuming as the walrus.
When people treat each other with humility,
There’s no need to blather about God.
It’s not that you need to stop believing in what-have-you,
Only that it turns people into answering machines.
The Dude doesn’t tell people what to think.
Because of this, they figure things out for themselves.
Though suspicions are neither confirmed nor disconfirmed,
Our lives are in our hands.
Tao Te Ching: 60
A sage governs a large group in the same way
That he would cook a delicate fish:
That is to say, he meddles as little as possible.
When the world is governed in accordance with Tao,
Spiritual influences no longer find any purchase.
It’s not that spiritualism loses any power,
Only that it no longer has any effect on the people.
Thus, just as sages do,
The unseen ends up leaving people alone.
When the unseen and the sages leave people alone,
Order is welcomed into the world.
Missing verse 5 of Tao de Ching
yes it is missing, but like the sacred rug, we know it still exists, somewhere.