The Short of It:
You get what you bring to the party.
23. Vacancy.
Be sparing of your talk, and possess yourself. A violent wind will not outlast the morning. A pouring rain will not outlast the day. Who are they that make these but Heaven and Earth? And, if Heaven and Earth cannot continue such things long, how much more will this be the case with [humanity]?
Therefore, when a [person] in all things accords with Tau, [their] accordance with Tau identifies [them] with Tau. A [person] of virtue is identified with virtue. A [person] of default is identified with default.
[Those] who [are] identified with Tau, (the community of) Tau also rejoices to receive. [Those] who [are] identified with Virtue, (the community of) Virtue also rejoices to receive. (But) [those] who [are] identified with default, the defaulters also rejoice to visit with default. Where faith is insufficient, it is not met by faith.
23. ‘Absolute Vacancy.’
23.1 Abstaining from speech marks [those] who [are] obeying the spontaneity of [their] nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can [humanity]!
23.2 Therefore when one is making the Tao [their] business, those who are also pursuing it, agree with [them] in it, and those who are making the manifestation of its course their object agree with [them] in that; while even those who are failing in both these things agree with [them] where they fail.
23.3 Hence, those with whom [they agree] as to the Tao have the happiness of attaining to it; those with whom [they agree] as to its manifestation have the happiness of attaining to it; and those with whom [they agree] in their failure have also the happiness of attaining (to the Tao). (But) when there is not faith sufficient (on [their] part), a want of faith (in [them]) ensues (on the part of the others).
23. Emptiness and Non-existence.
23.1 To be taciturn* is the natural way. A hurricane does not outlast the morning. A cloudburst does not outlast the day.
23.2 Who causes these events but heaven and earth? If even heaven and earth cannot be unremitting, will not [humanity] be much less so?
23.3 Those who pursue their business in Reason, [people] of Reason, associate in Reason. Those who pursue their business in virtue associate in virtue. Those who pursue their business in ill luck associate in ill luck. When [people] associate in Reason, Reason makes them glad to find companions. When [people] associate in virtue, virtue makes them glad to find companions. When [people] associate in ill luck, ill luck makes them glad to find companions.
“If your faith is insufficient, verily shall ye receive no faith.”
*Reserved.
The Long of It:
Don’t spend all your time trying to convert others to your way of thinking when all you have to do is convert yourself. So quiet your mind by quieting your mouth (the violent wind). Then figure out who you are and what you want.
Once you decide what you want (either virtue or default according to Chalmers), you naturally develop a relationship with that goal. You get to know it and take comfort in the intimacy.
Hopefully you choose virtue, because you attract whatever you put out in the world. Your goal and intimacy with that goal will be attractive to people with similar dispositions. In other words, the means define the ends. Associating with questionable people will not get us to better people, only more of the same.
Know yourself. Know who you are and why you are doing things. We are often our own worst enemy, exhibiting the frustration we attract. Instead, bring yourself to whatever group you want to be in. Find the courage to step up and decide what you want. Otherwise you may as well resign yourself to whatever circumstances you happen to be in.
-TB
