A major idea that is found in Four, is emptiness and the sudden urge to fill this emptiness. The poem begins with, “The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled. Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things!” When we feel empty, we are driven to fill this gap because we associate emptiness with negative feelings. Yet, emptiness seems to be a trait of the Tao. The next lines, “Blunt the sharpness, Untangle the knot, Soften the glare,” express the actions or evaluations one must take to accept emptiness. The narrator illustrates that trying to stay sharp or secure does not last. The knots or problems in our lives do become free. Darkness does arise in this cycle. The main message is if the reader decides to let time restore the problem or let time obliterate. Although Four discusses Tao, the poem also explains the different stages of life that is effected by our behavior and emotions. “Oh, hidden deep but ever present!” The Tao is not easy to find and hard to pinpoint it’s existence which is similar to the idea that humans have a hard time coming to terms of certain stages of life.
2 Responses to Tao Te Ching (#4)
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Your description of Tao Te Ching #4 is marvelous! As I read the poem I couldn’t help but wonder why we associate emptiness with negativity. I am so glad you brought up this point. I am a big fan of meditation and find it to be an extremely powerful tool. Meditation is all about stillness and emptiness. It has helped healed many people . You also noted “A major idea that is found in Four, is emptiness and the sudden urge to fill this emptiness.” This is an awesome point. I think as human beings we have been conditioned to believe that “nothingness” is a bad thing. In western society we reward hard work but have not fully embraced “personal time.” Perhaps our constant need to always be filled with something stems from this.
I believe you did a great job! The author wrote, “The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled”, the first line of the poem #4, dragged many thoughts into my mind. The most important one was about hardness to live with an empty heart. It is very exhausting to overcome any negativity that happens in our lives or crush out the feelings of disappointment in something or someone. What’s more, I believe that the author tried to say that the best way to fight tough times is by accepting them. I like how you pointed out that staying strong through the whole way of life does not last. It is also impossible. The cycle of life will bring negativity after positivity again and again.