Daodejing Chapter 20: aimless like the gusting wind

Do away with learning,
And your troubles end.
How different is a polite yes
From a rude no?
How different is good
From evil?
Whatever others fear,
You must fear too.
There is no end
To such prattle!
Everyone is out
Having a great time
As if enjoying a holiday feast,
As if climbing a terrace in spring.
I alone remain quiet,
Betraying no emotions,
Like an infant yet to smile,
Wandering as if
I have no home to go to.
Everyone else has
Enough to spare.
I alone am lacking.
I have the heart-and-mind
Of a complete fool.
The masses think
Everything is crystal clear,
I alone am confused.
The masses think
They are sharp and shrewd,
I alone am dumb and dull,
Drifting like the ocean waves,
Aimless like the gusting wind.
Everyone else has
A clear sense of purpose.
I alone am ignorant and uncouth.
I alone am different from everyone else.
I prize being nourished by the mother.

「絕學無憂，唯之與阿，相去幾何？善之與惡，相去若何？人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮其未央哉！眾人熙熙，如享太牢，如春登臺。我獨泊兮其未兆，如嬰兒之未孩。儡儡兮若無所歸！眾人皆有餘，而我獨若遺。我愚人之心也哉，沌沌兮！俗人昭昭，我獨昏昏。俗人察察，我獨悶悶。澹兮其若海，飂兮若無止。眾人皆有以，而我獨頑且鄙。我獨異於人，而貴食母。

For all his attempts to promote his teachings about the way to the ruling class of his day, Laozi never succeeded in persuading it to adopt them. One key reason for this was no doubt because of how he positioned himself as an outsider divorced from mainstream society.

Chapter 20 of the Daodejing perfectly encapsulates this positioning. Unlike the benighted masses who cheerfully get along with their lives, Laozi’s Daoist sage is alone, quiet, betrays no emotions, and has the heart-and-mind of a complete fool. Indeed, whereas everyone else has a clear sense of purpose, he drifts like the ocean waves and is aimless like the gusting wind.

Except, of course, rather than being left out of the mundane concerns of the benighted masses, the sage has transcended them by choice because he prizes “being nourished by the mother.” By fully embracing the teachings of the Dao, he has set himself apart from everyone else. No wonder so few are brave enough to follow him.

Note
I took this image at Longhu (Dragon Tiger) Mountain, a famous Daoist site about ten miles south of Yingtan in Jiangxi Province. A great place to visit!