Tao Te Ching! Acting in Harmony with the Tao

When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other

Without one there cannot be the other. There is a union with the way things are. Life is full of ups and downs, and like the tides of the ocean, it is a natural occurrence. Success, failure, happiness, and sadness all go with each other.

With that being said perspective will always determine the meaning of what is in the eye of the beholder. What is beautiful can only be beautiful in comparison to that which is less or not beautiful. What is good to one could be evil to another depending on how you define good and bad. They can only exist in relation to the other. You could be considered short when compared to a man taller than you, but tall when compared to a child. Without this duality neither can exist. The meaning of sad, happy, short, tall, weak, and strong can only come into existence when compared to the opposite.

Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away

What I took from it, is that it appears to be referring to a type of action that is natural and not forced. Making me conclude that the text was most likely referring to a state of being or state of mind known as flow or when you get into the zone. When your working and everything you do seems to come natural, whether you be working on your job, writing an essay, book, or even a blog post. You get things done, but do not become attached. You act, yet you do not over think things which allow's for flow (unforced action). You succeed in what you do, but you do not dwell on it, and as a result, you do not become stuck in the past and are able to move forward.

This is just my interpretation, feel free to tell me what you think it means!

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