Chapter 58
When governance is tolerant and inclusive, the people remain honest and sincere; when governance is harsh and meticulous, the people become cunning and calculating. Misfortune often serves as the foundation for happiness, while happiness secretly harbors the seeds of misfortune. Who can comprehend the ultimate principles governing these transformations? The standards of this world hold no absolutes. What is proper may turn strange, what is good may become evil – humanity has been lost in this confusion for ages. Therefore, the Sage remains:
Squareedged yet never cutting,
Pure yet never piercing,
Straightforward yet never overbearing,
Luminous yet never glaring.
(This passage from Chapter 58 of the Tao Te Ching illustrates Laozi's dialectical philosophy: Benevolent governance nurtures simple virtues while oppressive laws breed cunning; fortune and misfortune intertwine as complementary opposites. The Sage maintains balance – upholding principles while embodying flexible wisdom, adhering to the golden mean between extremes.)
