Thirty-Two

The floating tao is birthless, deathless;

therefore cannot be accurately named.

It can be experienced by those

who are humble and empty.

If the powerful and influential

could abide by its principles,

gentle rain would fall equally on all.

People would have no need for war,

because they would be attuned to their

whole hearts instead of their separate egos.

We name things in order to make sense of the world;

but, as we know, naming eventually fails

to order things.

There are already too many names,

too many labels.

Most people have forgotten how to flow.

Most people cannot stop labeling, dividing,

counting, and quantifying.

Thinking has largely become a sickness

because most humans no longer honor

nature's sacred balance.

Nature's flowing streams

have become man's stagnant ponds.

Floating helps one remember how to flow.

If you remember how to flow,

you are in no danger.