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Read Great Works

Written by the Students of Baruch College

You are here: Home / LITERARY PERIOD / Ancient and Classical (1200BCE–455CE) / For me, poems of the Tao Te Ching is …

For me, poems of the Tao Te Ching is …

by Great Works

— Cheong Yau

For me, poems of the Tao Te Ching is a piece of great work. I believe this work is great because it gives insight into real life that we can relate to. I like how he does not title them, he just numbers them, as if they were rules or something. I like “ten” the most; in this one, he talks about the separation of body and soul. Not only the separation of body and soul, he also talks about “Working yet not taking credit” and “Bearing yet not possessing” and “Leading yet not dominating.” I think these three lines are very interesting because it is not often done. We can usually see people that do work only to benefit themselves but what about working to better others. And for “Bearing yet not possessing”, often we can see parents or couples being overly possessive, but that is no way to treat someone else because people need space. And for “Leading yet not dominating”, a leader can be a great leader without being a dictator. I think these three quotes are great lines and advices that people should follow because they can make this world better. And his first line “Carrying body and soul and embracing the one” can be related to the three quotes mentioned above. When you have a separation of your body and soul is when the world makes the most sense. In fact, I liked his poems so much, they inspired me to write a poem of my own. It is also about the separation between one’s body and their mind. I think it is important to remember your soul and your body are attached but they are not one.

Filed Under: Ancient and Classical (1200BCE–455CE), East Asian, Lao Tzu, PROFESSOR, Stauffer-Merle, Tao Te Ching Tagged With: body, body and soul, creative writing, insight, inspiration, poetry, separation, soul

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