The Short of It:
People are smarter than governments.
36. Secret Intelligence.
(Nature) when about to contract any creature, is sure first to expand it; when about to weaken, is sure first to strengthen; when about to bring down, is sure first to raise up; when about to take away, is sure first to give. This is what I call the secret understanding.
The tender and weak overcome the hard and the strong.
As the fish cannot leave the deep (and live), so the warlike weapons of a nation cannot be displayed before the people (without deadly peril).
36. (Untitled).
If you would contract, you must first expand. If you would weaken, you must first strengthen. If you would overthrow, you must first raise up. If you would take, you must first give. This is called the dawn of intelligence.
The soft overcomes the hard; the weak overcomes the strong. There is no one in the world but knows this truth, and no one who can put it into practice.
Fishes must not be taken from the water: the methods of government must not be exhibited to the people.
Lao Tzu. Lionel Giles. The Sayings of Lao Tzŭ. United Kingdom: Orient Press, 1904.
36. (Untitled).
If you desire to breathe deeply, you must first empty the lungs. If you desire to be strong, you must first learn to be weak. If you desire to be in a lofty position, you must first learn to take a lowly position. If you desire to be enriched by gifts, you must first give away all that you have.
This is called concealment and enlightenment. The soft overcomes the hard. The weak overcomes the strong. Fish cannot swim safely in shallow waters. The secrets of government of a kingdom should not be revealed to the people.
The Long of It:
The first stanza reads as instructions: to contract, expand; to weaken, strengthen; to bring down, build up; to take away, give.
This is a negotiator’s handbook. And a good negotiator never shows their cards. Just like a government shouldn’t do with their methods (last stanza).
However, if we look closely, fish are swimming all around the chapter. They breath water (expanding/contracting), they swim erratically (up to go down), they’re hard to catch (give to take), and they conquer the ocean (soft over hard).
People are fish. That’s the metaphor. They’re experts at avoiding capture and surviving in their habitat.
A violent, clumsy government is not going to subdue them by splashing around brandishing weapons.
As Lao Tsu keeps reminding us, wise governments don’t use institutionalized violence (Chap 75). Instead they foster health, and let the people do the uniting (Chap 3).
-TB
works cited
Lao-tzu. Lau, D.C. Tao Te Ching. United Kingdom: Penguin Publishing Group, 1963.
