Balance

So here we go again.

I don't know if it's just me but I am finding that everything seems to get more interesting as I read on. The meanings are deep and in more ways true than we may think. To me, each little section refers to humanity and real life.

For example:
"That which shrinks
Must first expand.
That which fails
Must first be strong.
That which is cast down
Must first be raised.
Before receiving
There must be giving" (Tao Te Ching ll 36)

This is similar to the saying that somewhat goes "You cannot have good without evil" or "There is no such thing as evil if there is no good" or however the saying goes. All I know is that it's true. Without good, evil doesn't exist.

Now apply it to the above text from chapter 36. You can't shrink if you didn't first expand, you can't fail without first being strong, you can't be a loser if you weren't at first popular, and you can't receive if you never gave.

Make sense?

I agree with this saying. It's almost like you can't have something without its opposite. You need a balance with everything in life. You can't have one without the other.