Tao Te Ching: Chapter 17
Leadership is a quality not every person possesses to the same extent. While some leaders are loved by the people, others are feared and hated. But what makes some leaders better than others, and what effect does that have on the people?
Context
Tao Te Ching (or Dao De Jing) is a book written by Laozi around 400 BCE, and it’s a central book to the Chinese religion of Taoism. It contains many teachings about religion and philosophy, describing Tao as the source of all things, and encouraging wu wei, or non-action. This book piqued my interest recently and since it’s divided into many sections, I naturally had to flip to chapter 17. Below is the original text:
太上①，不知有之②；其次，亲而誉之；其次，畏之；其次，侮之。信不足焉，有不信焉。悠兮③，其贵言④。功成事遂，百姓皆谓“我自然”⑤。
Here is the translated version by John C. H. Wu, published in 1961:
The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.
When you are lacking in faith,
Others will be unfaithful to you.
The Sage is self-effacing and scanty of words.
When his task is accomplished and things have been completed,
All the people say, "We ourselves have achieved it!"
Interpretation
The highest type of ruler is nearly invisible to the people, yet because of them, everything runs smoothly. They are integral to the structure of an organization or a society, and without them, the people would be in shambles. This leadership is demonstrated through empowerment and actions that may not be visible to the public,
The second highest type of ruler is beloved by the people. Think of a popular leader and they most likely fall into this category, if not the one above. This leader maintains a good relationship with the people and because of that, their popularity is immense and their image is positive overall.
The third highest type of ruler is a ruler that is feared. Dictators such as Stalin and Hitler fall into this category, relying on threats to subdue the people. This causes the people to comply not out of respect or admiration, but out of fear.
The lowest type of ruler is incompetent. They are unable to rule effectively, and because of this, the people they rule often dislike them, and their rule is often very short because of their incompetence. One famous historical example is Charles II of Spain, who ruled from 1665 to 1700. Since he was extremely inbred, he was physically and mentally incompetent, and he was the last member of the House of Habsburg to rule Spain.
Chapter 17 also highlights the mutual trust required for effective leadership. The highest two types of leaders accomplish this, as the leaders place trust in the people to good, and this in turn causes the people to place trust in the leader. The lowest two types of leaders fail to accomplish this, and that is clearly seen in their style of leadership. Ruling out of fear is a tactic to make up for lack of trust. For example, a parent will likely be harsher on their child if they misbehave repeatedly. Under an incompetent leader, it’s the people who don’t have trust in the leader, and this is a sure cause of rebellion and an early end to the leadership.
The last paragraph is interesting as well. “The Sage is self-effacing and scanty of words” means that the ruler leads with few words. It means that they speak with their actions, and words aren’t needed to convey their virtue. This ties into humility and confidence as a leader, which are both positive traits that strengthen trust. This paragraph also reminded me of HCSSiM, which I’ll get into.
HCSSiM
When I attended HCSSiM, I learned that the program’s approach to teaching math was different, to say the least. Rather than spoonfeeding the math to us, the staff encouraged us to explore the topics and problems on our own while collaborating with other students. The “we ourselves have achieved it!” attitude resonated with me, and the staff are excellent at guiding us while giving us enough freedom to explore and look for solutions. Lucas’ Gnarly Theorem (Fermat’s Little Theorem) and Juna’s code (Hamming code) are just two of the discoveries we made that I still remember. I just think it’s beautiful that HCSSiM’s attitude towards doing mathematics agrees with Chapter 17 of Tao Te Ching, and it speaks to the importance of the number 17, the best number.
Life Update!
I want to cry. I have a stats final Monday and Tuesday, I have a presentation to give on Thursday, and I have an essay due on Friday. I’m staying up late to write this and finish my presentation.
But as of now, nothing important is happening in my life. Once winter break hits and I have more free time, I’ll be able to pursue more personal hobbies and goals, and these updates will be filled with more meaning, rather than another “I don’t have time to do anything.”
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