the open meadow

Use directness to govern a country
use deception to fight a war
use inaction to rule the world
how do we know this works
the greater the prohibitions
the poorer the people
the sharper the weapons
the darker the realm
the smarter the scheme
the stranger the outcome
the finer the treasure
the thicker the thieves
thus the sage declares
I change nothing
and the people transform themselves
I stay still
and the people adjust themselves
I do nothing
and the people enrich themselves
I want nothing
and the people simplify themselves
-- Chapter 57, Red Pine, Tao Te Ching

Jesus, Lao Tzu, and I walked across an open meadow.

All of a sudden, each of us was encircled by a fence.

We stopped.

"Who are those people over there?" I asked.

"Interpreters of the meanings of the fences," said Lao Tzu.

"And those people over there?"

"Fence enforcers," said Jesus.

A third group was busy creating more fences.

"Here comes a fourth group," I said. "They look nasty and cunning."

"Fence violators," said Lao Tzu.

"And this fifth group. Who are they?" I asked.

"They come to sell us weapons," said Jesus.

"Why do we need weapons?" I asked.

"To protect us from the violators," said Lao Tzu.

"And from each other," said Jesus.

"I thought we were getting along just fine," I said.

"We are," said Jesus.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Do you have a loving heart?" asked Lao Tzu.

"Of course," I said.

"Then just keep on walking," he said.

The open meadow beckoned us once again.