One thought to ponder

This just seems to say so much!

Tao te Ching
Chapter 58

If a country is governed with tolerance,
the people are comfortable and honest.
If a country is governed with repression,
the people are depressed and crafty.

When the will to power is in charge,
the higher the ideals, the lower the results.
Try to make people happy,
and you lay the groundwork for misery.
Try to make people moral,
and you lay the groundwork for vice.

Thus the master is content
to serve as an example
and not to impose his will.
She is pointed, but doesn't pierce.
Straightforward, but supple.
Radiant, but easy on the eyes.