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I live in USA, and opine that the construct of "American Exceptionalism" is out of step with humility. In USA we can't cook the small fish (Chapter 60) or be the large river (Chapter 61).

Do not lead for we might not follow. Do not follow for we might not lead. Just walk side by side as we carve the path to enlightenment.

Grateful ❤❤❤

The analogy of smaller rivers flowing into and feeding the larger river is no doubt a powerful and in many ways an uplifting image. What I think many fear is the “one-directionality” of the flow implied in that analogy. How will the larger river manage to give back to the smaller rivers since water only flow in one downward direction? Isn’t this an analogy that implies a sort of drainage of the resources of the smaller rivers (nations)? I think, for this analogy to be complete we also need to incorporate the analogy of how a body of water give rise to steam that lift into the air and drifts over the highlands in the form of rainclouds to make any sense. This feedback loop must somehow be fully understood and accepted in order for folks to “surrender” comfortably to the larger scheme of things. Of course, what’s happening today is that the larger and more powerful nations are in an unbridled competition with the smaller nations and discontent is brewing everywhere as a consequence. The smaller and less fortunate are being drained of all their resources by the dominant powers but are not being compensated or rejuvenated in a feedback loop. This is robbery and can only lead to discord and subsequent death. In nature this sort of imbalance leads to the emergence of deserts and uninhabitable environments. In the human realm this sort of behaviour lead to “desert-like mindsets” of extreme egoism. It is this mindset that have brought down all known empires of the past. It is a rot that creeps up from within the dominant structure itself and corrupts the mindset of the people within it. Invariably the reaction will always land in a state of fear and aggression. And thus the conflict escalates until a complete breakdown arise. In such a situation no-one is the winner since everything have spun out of control. Probably at no previous era in our human history have such a situation been more dangerous than todays situation with trigger-happy lunatics at the helm of nuclear armaments, emerging transhumanism and autonomous artificial intelligence. The views and teachings of Tao Te Ching is needed now more than ever before!

So appreciate your discourse here. The Taoist way is so wise, if only we have ears to listen and then put into practice... ❤

16:14 I love your channel and your audience, I'm gonna comment on ALL your videos for years until I reach your level of subscribers.

Thank you

Be like water!

"accept nature"❤

Hey Jason! Ever heard about Tat Wale Baba: Rishi of the Himalayas? I suggest researching him. Very interesting Rishi!

🙏

👍☯

A beautiful example of this is the surrender of Germany and Japan - they submitted but won the larger economic war in the ensuing decades.

The time when this chapter was written must have had a more understandable context. Today we're guessing. This metaphor of the bigger country acquiescing to a smaller nation is proving to be totally incorrect in the USA versus Mexico and other nations. The invasion of people from other nations into the USA is ruining the USA.

Eventually the large nations will unite and there will be a world emperor.