[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.]

There is an odd thing about saying those in authority eat up too much in taxes. It is the people who hand authority over to those in authority. In translating this chapter, I felt this may be the underlying point in the original Chinese. Is this correct, or just a result of my long held view that there would be no government if no one ‘signed up’? Who knows?

This ‘chicken or the egg’ issue also applies to armies and the wars waged. There would be no generals if no solders showed up. Followers are a precondition for leaders. Obviously, being a social animal there is no shortage of followers. Now, to then blame those in authority for the problems that ensue is yet again passing the buck – which created the problem in the first place, i.e., handing over authority to others to ‘lead the way’. Letting others lead us, and then blaming them for their incompetence must be one strong instincts. It certainly keeps that ‘buck’ circulating.

On setting too much store by life, I prefer how the literal original Chinese puts it: the people take extremes lightly because they seek a larger existence. In this latter view, it is not so much that they treat death lightly, but that they treat extremes lightly, and so naturally overlook the unintended consequences of seeking a larger (than life) existence.

The mind numbing beauty of the original, for me anyway, lies in the extensive number of synonyms (near synonyms and not so near synonyms) that Chinese seems to have. Is that really the case, or it that just because I’m not a native speaker? Do Chinese folks feel the same way about English? Anyway, these ‘synonyms’ along with the extreme terseness of the Tao Te Ching helps tell the ‘taoist story’ well, which is to say, murky like muddy water. In fact, not being a knowledgeable native speaker may even be an advantage when it comes to this ‘story’. Hmm, Now that's seeing the cup half full!

Fairly literal... (all things considered):
The people are hungry because they are taxed so much,
That is why they are hungry.
The people are difficult to govern because they have activity,
That is why they are difficult to govern.
The people take extremes lightly, because they seek a larger existence,
That is why they take extremes lightly.
Only the man without use for life's activity is worthy of a noble existence.

Literal enough to scratch one's head over:
the people of be hungry (starve) use (take, because of) his (its, their, they, that, such) upper (up, higher, go up) eat tax of much.
this (that, justify) use (take, because of) be hungry (starve).
the people of difficult govern use (take, because of) his (its, their, they, that, such) upper (up, higher, go up) of have (exist) do (act, become)
this (that, justify) use (take, because of) difficult govern.
the people of light (un-important, gently) die (extremely, implacable, rigid),
use (take, because of, so as to) his (its, their, they, that, such) beg (seek, try, demand) existence (life, get, have) of thick (large, generous, flavour),
this (that, justify) use (take, because of) light (un-important, gently) die (extremely, implacable, rigid).
man only (alone) nothing (not have, without, not) use (take, because of, so as to) existence (life, get, have) do (act, become)
this (that, justify) virtuous (worthy, able) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) expensive (valuable, precious, noble) existence (life, get, have).