Tao Te Ching Themes

The Tao Te Ching is a historic Chinese text that is famously known for its rich commentary on a variety of spiritual, ethical, and political topics. A couple themes that are touched in the Tao Te Ching typically deal with the notion of virtue, benevolence, and so forth. In this paper, I will examine four specific stanzas from the Tao Te Ching, illustrate the applicability and relevancy of themes such as materialistic possessions, inner peace, humility & accountability, & political leadership, and demonstrate that such themes can help us re-evaluate our values in today’s society in the path for a harmonious lifestyle.

In the Tao Te Ching, the theme of materialistic possession is further elaborated in Stanza 44. For instance, this is illustrated

This idea is particularly noted in Stanza 61, and illustrated in the following line that talks about the growth of a country, and how, “The more powerful it grows, the greater the need for humility”. From this, it presents a compelling argument on how a country must seek to understand the extent of its power, and to use it for the greater good. This holds especially true for those in a position of power, and how corporate figures or political leaders must be aware of the limitation of their powers. The notion that political leaders or countries must be held accountable for their actions is further explicated in Stanza 61 in the following lines that write, “A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it”. Accordingly, this is relevant to today’s society, especially in a time of frequent corruption in major corporations and current American politics, in which many of those with power are not truthful about their motivations, and will simply disregard the magnitude of their actions. In a spiritual sense, the iteration of the word “great” defines what it means to be great, which further ties with the spiritual need for reflection and growth in maturity. In the Tao Te Ching, humility and accountability is a topic that is touched upon in order to address the

For instance, this is touched upon in Stanza 57, which states that , “If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao.

Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself”. From this, the Tao Te Ching explicitly states that we must let go of our need to control. Great leaders are individuals who do not monitor or control every facet, but rather trust in the process of the outcome, and allow the good to flourish for itself. In particular, this relates to the current atmosphere of American politics in how control has negatively impacted Trump’s presidency, and how such actions has affected the global image for America. Furthermore, this is spiritually meaningful as the stanza once again draws attention to the concept of the Tao, and wants us to follow the flow of the Tao, which is essentially known as the harmony of the universe. In short, an obsessive or controlling individual will not be able to maintain a proper balance that will benefit the short and long term of a