The poem that was most intriguing to me was one brought up in class, #60. It reads, “Govern big countries like you cook a little fish. When Tao harmonizes the world, demons lose their power. Not that demons lose their power, but their power does not harm people. Not that their power does not harm people, but the Sage does not harm people. If neither does harm, then Te flows and returns.” I interpreted the first part as saying if the government intervenes in the lives of its people too much, then the country will fall apart. When you cook a little fish, if you poke it or stir it too much, the bigger chunks will start to break off into smaller and smaller pieces until you can hardly recognize that you started with a larger piece of fish. Therefore, the Daodejing tells us that the government should be there to assist the people it rules over, but not to control their every movement or every day life. I understood the rest of the poem as saying if demons, meaning evil, has nothing to oppose or go against, then it will disappear and Te, or peace, will be free to flow and return.
I liked this poem in particular because I believe it is one of the few poems of the Daodejing that closely resembles the similarities between Daoism and Confucianism. If you want a community to live a certain way, then you must rule in a way so that everyone is on board. Much easier said than done, but it is something that should be strived for. Below are some of my interpretations of some of the other poems from the Daodejing.
#45) If you are still, calm, and pure, the universe will act accordingly and set things in order around you.
#46) If you know and are aware that what you have is enough, then you will always be content and at peace with yourself and the world.
53) Even though taking the right or straight path is often the easiest route, people love to stray away from what is normal to be different. If you possess more items than you can use, then you are not following the way of the Tao.
56) Talk less and guard your senses. Do not worry about receiving praise for things you have done well, for winning, or being disgraced by others. Find peace within yourself.
69) When attacking an enemy, the worst thing you could do is underestimate them. Those who were the most reluctant to fight in the first place will win the fight.
71) Knowing what you don’t know is the true meaning of knowledge.
76) People are often times like trees in the sense that the soft and weak tend to prosper and grow, and are likely to overcome the strong.