In managing human affairs, there is no better rule than to be sparing.
To be sparing is to forestall; to forestall is to be prepared and strengthened; to be prepared and strengthened is to be ever-victorious; to be ever-victorious is to have infinite capacity; he who has infinite capacity is fit to rule a country, and the Mother (principle) of a ruling country can long endure.
This is to be firmly rooted, to have deep strength, the road to immortality and enduring vision.
(Tao Teh King 59)
In managing human affairs, there is no better rule than to be sparing.
Wu: “There is nothing like frugality.” Bigger and more are usually not better, despite popular opinion. There is a frugality that comes from both stinginess and obstructionism, but there is also a prudent frugality in which resources are conserved in order to continue using them in the future. As I cited earlier, a wise adage from the past is: “Eat it up; wear it out; make it do or do without.” Though we think of frugality as economic, it can be applied in many areas of human life. Actually frugality and moderation are never far apart.
To be sparing [frugal] is to forestall; to forestall is to be prepared and strengthened; to be prepared and strengthened is to be ever-victorious; to be ever-victorious is to have infinite capacity; he who has infinite capacity is fit to rule a country, and the Mother (principle) of a ruling country can long endure.
Frugality prevents depletion or bankruptcy and is a foresight that ensures continuity and strength and therefore mastery of a situation. I met a man that from his teen years had been investing safely. He told me that he would calculate how much he could afford to lose, and would invest only that amount. If things went badly he was still solvent and had nearly all his former gains. If things went well, then he was better off than before. Lao Tzu is advocating this approach for it fits people to take on more and greater responsibilities successfully. His interest is not economic development but insurance against the worries and possible entanglements brought about by financial collapse. Peace of mind is his intention.
This is to be firmly rooted, to have deep strength, the road to immortality and enduring vision.
When moderation and prudence are observed in all areas of life, then as the master says, great strength and security will result for the moderate and prudent. Since, as Sri Ramakrishna observed, if you can weigh salt you can weigh sugar, cultivation of material wisdom can assist in developing spiritual wisdom and thereby be able to take the path to immortality and enduring vision: essential traits of a happy and worthwhile outlook and life.
Next in the Tao Teh King for Awakening: Governing a Big Country