Tao Te Ching is a book that was written by a man called Lao Tzu over two thousand years ago. This book teaches us about the way of life; for the word “Tao” means “The Way”, through this book, Lao Tzu taught us how to live a good life and be a person with integrity and righteousness. This book (this version) basically divided into two sections; the first is about integrity and proper way of behavior, while the second half base on more about theory of “The Way.”
Lao Tzu is a man of wisdom who was in the ancient China and he wrote some of his theories and opinion on how gentlemen and righteous people should behave themselves. The main theme of Tao Te Ching is to teach us how we can fulfill this purpose. Even thought for a Chinese person, the wording that Lao Tzu used was hard to understand and because the book is translated from Chinese, some of the style and feelings may also get lose through the process. However, because it is a translation, it is easier to understand.
In chapter 36, Lao Tzu talked about the importance of realizing our own imperfect. He stated that it is well for a person to know and admit that he does not understand everything. On the other hand, it does no good for a person to refuse his own mistake. He also said that a sage could be such an example is because he admits his wrong doings and corrects it; for this reason, he is improving himself. At the end, he becomes more perfect. This is part of Lao Tzu’s integrity teaching, which gives powerful insight of how a person should act, think, and speak. It helps to build up self-confidence and peace in mind.
The Essay on Comparison of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli
It is obvious to most people the differences between black and white, light and darkness, or Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Many people have different preferences for each of these things, as well as different views about them. While one person may argue that Pepsi is the ultimate cola beverage, another person may claim that Coca-Cola is the best by far. This is such the case with many different people in ...
Besides as a book for us, Tao Te Ching was also written for the country leaders. In chapter 74, Lao Tzu taught the rulers how to gain favor of the people. He stressed the importance of being kind and not to practice anything more than it is needed. He told the rulers that they should not over use force to press the people and that the army to only fight for the right purpose, but not for its own desire. It is true that if a government gives too much pressure on people, past experience tells us that the people will rise up and fight against the government because people want to have a comfortable living and to have enough food to eat, place to stay, and clothes to cloth. According to Lao Tzu, if the government could not be considerate for the citizens, the government will soon will over thrown.
Tao Te Ching is an excellent book for all the people who want to learn about and improve their personality. This book teaches me that humble, honest, balance, kindness and charity are the main characteristics that each of us need to strife for in order to become a better person. This book shows me the way of life and how I can obtain this path. If we desire to have peace in mind and improve our relationship with others, this book will be a great tool to look into.
