Everything Popular is Wrong | Tao Te Ching Chapter 70 Explained

My words are easy to understand, and it is easy to follow them. Yet they can be grasped by no one in the world, and there is no one who can follow them. My words are of an ancient origin. My actions are guided by reason. Yet this remains unknown, so I remain unknown too. Those who know me are few. This is what honors me. The sage wears plain clothing. His true wealth is concealed in This chapter kind of feels to me like Lao Tzu's haters gonna hate chapter. For us, when we talk about people who don't understand us, it's usually with kind of a bitter taste in our mouths. However, I don't get that so much from Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu is well aware of the fact that few people will understand him and the way he chooses to live, but he doesn't see this necessarily as a bad thing. He says, Those who know me are few. This is what honors me. Part of becoming a person of enlightenment is learning to value what others cast aside, and to cast aside what others value. This doesn't mean that we reject popular things and ideas outright simply because they are popular, but it does mean that we are wary of them. People often like the idea of an actualized life, but very few are willing to do what it takes to realize it. Although following the Tao is not complicated, most people aren't willing to do it. Therefore, a lot of people never experience a lot of the joy that is available in life. We don't judge them or look down on them for this, but we do want to be aware of whose opinions we allow to hold sway in our own lives. The fact that Lao Tzu's actions are understood by so few does not in and of itself mean that they are right, but it can serve as one metric. Ernest Hemingway, with his characteristically snarky wit, once said in a lecture to art students, Popularity is the crown of laurel Looking at the end of this chapter, I appreciate the part about the sage's true wealth being concealed in the heart. This passage provides a satisfying cross section with chapter 67. If you recall, chapter 67 was the chapter where Lao Tzu talks about the three treasures that he values above all others, compassion, moderation, and humility. This was the chapter that we did three part miniseries on. All three of these treasures are the kind that are concealed in the heart, rather than being of a tangible and physical kind. The sage doesn't have a need to look impressive to anyone else, because he knows the real things of value are the ones that nobody else sees. If you'd like to be a part of the discussion on this chapter, you can join the discord by clicking on the link in the description of the video. And as always, thank you for watching, and I will see you all tomorrow for chapter 71. Peace and blessings.