In our era,
when the Great Integrity has been lost,
seperate states have arisen.
Some become very large.
Others remain very small.
When the larger ones
try to conquer the small,
at first the smaller ones are defeated
even though yang aggression
meets yang resistance.
But death stalks the people
on both sides of war.
Is it not better for great countries
to be like vast low lying lands
into which all streams passively go?
And the smaller countries,
like the innocent streams,
can be welcomed
at the end of thier passage
by wide open arms,
calmly receiving their flow?
Would not this mutual humility
save countless lives now,
while serving as a rehearsal
for the coming of the Tao?
“The Tao Te Ching, A New Translation”
By: Ralph Alan Dale
ISBN: 0-7607-4998-1