About Elders and Sages: My Contemplation of Verse 49 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

 

Today, I am focusing on verse 49 of the Tao Te Ching:

The sage has no fixed mind;

he is aware of the needs of others.

Those who are good he treats with goodness.

Those who are bad he also treats with goodness

because the nature of his being is good.

He is kind to the kind.

He is also kind to the unkind

because the nature of his being is kindness.

He is faithful to the faithful;

he is also faithful to the unfaithful.

The sage lives in harmony with all below heaven.

He sees everything as his own self;

he loves everyone as his own child.

All people are drawn to him.

He behaves like a little child.

Growing up, I had a funny grandma.  You know, the kind that joked and laughed out loud.  My mother eventually did the same thing.  At first, after my dad had died, my mother wouldn't laugh or joke around.  I didn't understand back then that it was probably hard to find humor in anything when she had to take care of five kids by herself.

Being a sage, or a wise person, does not give us permission to be pretentious.  A sage is humble enough to understand what is appropriate at a given time.  It involves being kind to all, not just to those who are beneficial to your plans.  Being wise includes being faithful when not everyone sticks to you.  Being a sage means being good to all of mankind.

I find that there is an interesting paradox.  As we humans grow older, we become childlike.  We end up needing help to move around; our children help us.  Our behavior changes, too.  Sometimes, our children chide us.

Yet, we should revere our elders.  They have lived years ahead of us.  They have faced many challenges.  They can teach us a lot.  We should be drawn to them. 

Let's give our elders the respect they deserve.  

I'm not asking you to turn a blind eye to their flaws.  I'm asking you to give mercy where need be.  I'm asking you to consider that someday we will all be in their shoes, should we live long enough.  After all, wouldn't we want to be treated with dignity, when we ourselves become the elders to the younger generations?

 

 

Thanks for reading this entry about elders and sages.  

I appreciate you taking the time to read it.  

My dear readers, I've got some questions for you: Are you surrounded by elders in your life?  Do you respect your elders?  Are you drawn to your elders?  Perhaps, spending some time with your elders can give you a new perspective on life.  Take some time with the elders in your life.  Sit with them.  It's worth your time.  I promise.    

 

I pray that we all would seek peace from the Source of everything--Father, God.  I pray that we would ask God for His help to experience a deep, loving relationship with Him.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.