1.3 Water Finds Its Own Level

Welcome to the third episode of Walking With the Tao, a podcast where two educators take hikes together and discuss the Tao Te Ching. In each episode, we choose a different passage and discuss it while we walk in nature. The conversations are wide ranging, relevant, and relatable.

We returned to the Chattahoochee River for episode three, but further south this time. The river was a presence as we walked, appropriately so because our chosen passage, number 8, begins “The best are like water / bringing help to all.” The river’s presence helped us stay focused on the metaphor.

Here is the passage from the Red Pine translation:

The best are like water

bringing help to all

without competing

choosing what others avoid

they thus approach the Tao

dwelling with earth

thinking with depth

helping with kindness

speaking with honesty

governing with peace

working with skill

and moving with time

and because they don't compete

they aren't maligned

Our conversation revolved around humility and competition. We were interested in how the Tao Te Ching encourages a kind of humility that feels counter-intuitive in modern American society, which encourages people to lead with their egos.

We also discussed competition, or rather non-competition. Our conversation quickly turned to capitalism. Are humans naturally competitive or cooperative? How do humans respond during a crisis, and is this any indication of how the Tao works?

A note about the title: The original title of this podcast was Thirty Spokes. We changed the title to Walking With the Tao in midstream. We decided not to edit out references to the original title.

The music for the intro and outro comes from the song “Changes,” composed and recorded by ⁠⁠Ryan Cherry⁠⁠.