“Starvation of a people comes when an official appropriates to himself too much of the taxes. The reason a people are difficult to govern is because the officials are too meddlesome; the people make light of death because they are so absorbed in life's interests. The one who is not absorbed in life is more moral than he who esteems life.”
2006-12-10 12:01:05 · 1 answers · asked by big e 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
It means that a government should be yielding when dealing with the people and be an intermediary rather than a forceful ruler. The way of Tao is to not be forceful but to let things take their course the way that is natural. The official should appropriate amongst the people rather than upon them. Otherwise, he would be harassing and interfering too much with their lives and they would not be able to function properly as citizens. This "yielding" is the "the way" and is a recurring theme in the Tao Te Ching, once again demonstrated here.
2006-12-10 12:22:55 · answer #1 · answered by Zeek 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋