One who excels as a warrior does not appear formidable;
One who excels in fighting is never roused in anger;
One who excels in defeating his enemy does not join issue;
One who excels in employing others humbles himself before them.
Making use of the efforts of others; reminds me of negotiation. A simple example is bargaining. The more I NEED what I’m trying to buy the easier it is for the seller to ask a high price. He is making use of the efforts born from my need. Conversely, the more content I am with my status quo, the harder bargain I can drive. I make use of his need to sell. This simple dynamic seems to underlie my relationship with EVERYTHING. Thus, when I’m content, I making use of the efforts of nature.
The fear of loss lies at the heart of this dynamic. When I feel threatened with the loss of something I cherish, I either react in anger or dig in my heels and hang on. When I need to be SOMEBODY, or when I fear losing personal status, I’m unable to be humble. When I cling to my opinion as though it were life itself, I join issue—I argue. When I feel week and vulnerable I strive to appear strong and ‘cool’. By knowing this dynamic, I not only know myself better, but find the world much easier to deal with.
All actions seem to stem from a fear of loss—losing order, solitude, friends, health, wealth, and so on. When I reach out for something, it is because I LACK something I FEEL I need. I’ve lost contentment with what I have hear and now, or I fear losing what I have here and now.
The sublimity of heaven lies in the truth that the universe doesn’t care about anything in particular. It’s all embracing and yet neutral and shows no favoritism. Life, on the other hand, chooses ‘this’ over ‘that’. It is biased in its cares. While I can, as a life-form, never match this full sublimity of heaven, I can match it through my understanding, which broadens my circle of caring; the more universal this love, the greater peace I know.
I join issue when I get locked into an extreme. All issues (from life and death on up) are, fundamentally, dynamic interactions between opposites, i.e., Something and Nothing produce each other[see ch. 2]. When I take up with one side and cling to it, I get drawn into an endless struggle. The more I hang on to one side, the more alien the other side becomes. The ensuing chasm leaves me isolated from the cosmic whole.
When I’m down in the muck joining issue, I’m unable to feel the sublimity of heaven. Only by backing off from taking sides can I know the peace of the way. If nothing else, it helps to know that joining issue will not bring me what it promises. That knowledge alone is a blessing.
Why do I contend? I’m either competing with an idealized image of myself or someone I want to beat. It is as though who I am, right now, is not good enough—in short, I’m insecure. I imagine this is natures way of getting me to jump into life and live it, and this is healthy up to the point where my basic needs are met. But in the context of civilization, this easily goes far beyond that.
Every action is contention to some extent. Actions aim to resolve current needs. Without need, I sit still. Thus, I act out of a sense that my actions will bring me some contentment; it is out of dis-contentment that I act. After all these years I find that my actions have not brought me contentment, and yet I grow more and more content as the years pass. This reminds me of: If you would have a thing laid aside, You must first set it up; [see ch. 36]. So, if I would come to know contentment, I must first endure dis-contentment.
Employing others lies at the heart of all relationships. Each side employs the other, albeit in different ways, but for the same fundamental reason—meeting a need. When I’m humble, my needs are easier to satiate; I can excel at getting what I need, because my needs are minimal.
This is known as the virtue of non-contention;
This is known as making use of the efforts of others;
This is known as matching the sublimity of heaven.This is known as the virtue of non-contention;
This is known as making use of the efforts of others;
This is known as matching the sublimity of heaven.