[Note: I italicize phrases I borrow from the chapter, and link to phrases I borrow from other chapters to help tie chapters together. While making it more tedious to read, the Tao Te Ching is best pondered in the context of the whole.]

My son Kyle had a novel interpretation on the ruler part of this chapter. He noted how people make God a ruler in these various ways - Some folks love and praise God, some fear God. He was a little puzzled on how people might take liberties with God. Cursing might be one way? Anyway, 'but a shadowy presence to his subjects' sure fits the Taoist outlook on God.

The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects has been one of my prime models for raising my sons. The other three 'next comes' all have unpleasant consequences. In the governing of a family it is order that matters, and so the worst is one with whom they take liberties.

Faith is one of the hardest words to define. I correlate it to connection. When I feel disconnected I lack faith. When I am disconnected from my moment I do things 'half ass'. I live life 'half ass'. I take by-paths with the intention of just 'getting by'. Only when I do my utmost to attain emptiness and hold firmly to stillness am I capable of feeling completely connected in my moment - of having enough faith. Am I always so connected? No! Does it matter? No! All that matters is knowing the direction in which to head - to know the teaching that uses no words, the benefit of resorting to no action is enough. After all, I'm only a 'hapless' little animal. All I need do is muster up the courage to take the lower position and let it happened to me naturally. Mmmm, this reminds me of Jesus's "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin... etc".

Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly. Ok, so do I just vow to be hesitant and not utter words lightly? I've found that such 'renunciation' doesn't work any better than resorting to action. It all seems to boil down to letting the buck stop here, facing the music, and being self honest with what I deeply want out of life. That's it. It is easy as pie when I have little thought of self and as few desires as possible. The joy of this approach is that I don't have to succeed. I neither have to act nor refrain from action. I don't have to be 'good', 'better, or heaven forbid, 'perfect'. All I 'must' do is be brave enough to be self honest. Such self integrity is its own reward!