Eight Lessons from the Tao te Ching

From Carry Tiger to Mountain – The Tao of Activism and Leadership

Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver, 2006

You want to change the world. You are part of a community organization, the human rights movement, a leader of an ethically driven business, an environmental group, or are simply a citizen who is working quietly in your community to ensure your children have a safe place to play or that your water isn’t polluted. You face daily challenges. You struggle. Sometimes you overcome, and sometimes you fall behind. More than 2500 years ago, Lao Tzu wrote a simple, elegant book of verse that for thousands of years has inspired and guided leaders of nations, armies, and business. Now, Carry Tiger to Mountain brings the wisdom of the Tao te Ching – the Book of the Way and its Virtue – to those who struggle to make the world better for us all.

The Tao te Ching has much to teach, including lessons…

1. On Action: Sometimes the best action to take is to take no action at all, but instead to step back and allow events to unfold. As activists we often times force action. Our challenge is to allow the right action to arise of its own accord, and seize the opportunity when it presents itself.
2. On Strategy: When preparing a strategy, keep your plan simple. Once developed do not reveal your strategy to your opponents. Allow those you oppose to believe that when you’ve succeeded, you’ve done so by mere chance.
3. On Power: Power is gained by giving it away. Power dispersed is power built.
4. On Working with Others: When working with others, lower yourself below them. Be like the ocean, lowering yourself so that all streams run downhill towards you.
5. On Conflict: When entering into a conflict, know neither side can win. Better to avoid acrimonious conflict by “capturing your opponent whole.” Lasting solutions are not forged from anger, fear, or hate. Avoid conflict by addressing issues early, before they become overwhelming. A stream is most easily crossed at its headwaters.
6. On Crisis: When in a crisis, bend and flow. Watch how water moves around an obstacle in a river: be like that.
7. On Leadership: The sage leader does her work and then steps aside. The mark of a true leader is that those she leads no longer need her guidance.
8. On Love: As sage activists, our three greatest treasures are restraint, compassion, and love. With restraint we can lead; with compassion we can accept all things; with love we can lead. The sage activist strives to act out of a place of love and compassion, not anger and fear.  

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