Translation
The people are hungry because taxes eat much,
That is why they are hungry.
The people are difficult to govern because of their expectations,
That is why they are difficult to govern (2) .
The people take death lightly, because they seek life’s flavor,
That is why they take death lightly.
Only the man without use for life is worthy of a noble life.
the people (civilian) of be hungry (starve; famish; famine; crop failure) use (take, because of, as well as) his (her; its; that; such) upper (up; higher; superior) eat (food; feed) tax of much (more; too many; excessive),
<grm>is <formal> this; that) use (take, because of, as well as) be hungry (starve; famish; famine; crop failure).
the people (civilian) of difficult (hard; troublesome) rule (govern; order; peace; > government; control) use (take, because of, as well as) his (her; its; that; such) upper (up; higher; superior) of have (exist) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support),
<grm>is <formal> this; that) use (take, because of, as well as) difficult (hard; troublesome) rule (govern; order; peace; > government; control).
the people (civilian) of light (softly, un-important, gently) die (extremely; deadly; fixed; rigid) use (take, because of, as well as) his (her; its; that; such) beg (request; seek; try; demand) give birth to (grow; existence; life) of thick (deep; large; generous; rich in flavor),
<grm>is <formal> this; that) use (take, because of, as well as) light (softly, un-important, gently) die (extremely; deadly; fixed; rigid).
husband (man) only (alone) nothing (without; not) use (take, because of, as well as) give birth to (grow; existence; life) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) 者(after adjective/verb as substitute person/thing), <grm>is <formal> this; that) virtuous (worthy, able) at (in) expensive (precious; noble) give birth to (grow; existence; life).
Original
民之
饥以其上食税之多，是以饥。
民之难治
以其上之有为，是以难治。
民之轻死
以其求生之厚，是以轻死。
夫唯无以生为者，
是贤于贵生。
Commentary, August 2011
The closest parallel to taxes I see in nature is the parasite. Parasites that give as much as they take are symbiotic relationships beneficial to both organisms. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are an example. The larger an ‘organism’ of the governed and governing, the more difficult it is to maintain such a symbiotic balance. Too many self-interested parties take more than they give, and like leaches suck away the juices for their own benefit – not for the greater good of the ‘organism’. At heart, the pragmatic conservative realizes this difficulty, while the liberal puts their eggs in the basket of ‘if only’ idealism (1).
Too fond of action reminds me of trying to remove a bug from my tea cup. The more I stir up the water (fondest of action) the more chaotic the situation, the more difficult it is to fetch the bug. The most efficient way to deal with a problem is to be let the conditions settle down enough to perceive the mysterious sameness, and then take action with minimal expectations (2).
I would include the word personal when talking about how people take death lightly. They treat their own death lightly for they are preoccupied with seeking life’s flavor, the promises of what life has to offer going forward. The problem: we really only have this moment; the next is only a promise. And even when fate fulfills the promise we aren’t fully present to appreciate it because we’re still off seeking life’s flavor tomorrow.
Only the man without use for life means having no use for the ‘objective’ aspect of life. In other words, use for life comes down to the flavor one is seeking to get out of life. Here the eye is always looking out for the promise of some ideal future reward. This is at odds with making the most of one’s moment. Like the old saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
(1) I’m not referring to particular political parties here. A pragmatic conservative in the Taoist sense would be more ruthless. As D.C. Lau puts it, It is just because one has no use for life that one is wiser than the man who values life. Political parties, left or right, push their brand of ‘if only’ ideals in a tug-of-war that wages on and on. Another way to explain what I mean by conservative is by correlations:
Liberal ≈ complex, full, need, struggle, evolves, definite, anxious, modern
——- ———– —— ————- —–——- ———– —— ————- —–——- ———– —— —
Conservative ≈ simple, empty, content, surrender, revolves, ambiguous, patient, ancient
(2) D.C. Lau translated these lines as, It is because those in authority are too fond of action, That the people are difficult to govern. While true, that seems to go beyond what the Chinese says. Two characters, have+do ( 有为) translates as youwei which means promising or young and promising. Thus for me, these lines really speak more to people’s expectations, the promise of the future. Our expectations, and the desire that drives them, are our greatest liability when it comes to following the way.