Tao Te Ching 13-28: How is the Tao?

Tao is a state of the mind and the body. When you do not need any material stuff to survive then you have reached the Tao. The Tao also teaches us that when you most need something it will come. “When the country is confused and in chaos, loyal ministers appear.”ch18 This can really be associated with the theme of destiny. If things come when you need them then it means the same as destiny. Things will come to happen is what the Tao says us. One example of this is when Obama came into power. Obama came into power in a time where the economy is in a very big crisis. It is said that all good presidents of the US have taken power in harsh times, so it might be destiny for presidents to be good if they are elected during bad times. A concept that I see in the Tao as well as in The Bible is the enduring of hard tests to become a better person. We saw this in The Bible when God sends his disease on Job or when he sends Abraham to kill his son. Now in the Tao we can also see that teaching “Accept disgrace willingly, accept misfortune as the human condition”ch13 these tests can be taken in two ways one way is a way to get better and stronger by passing that test. If you are very greedy and you want to become more generous maybe there is a time when you have to ask for money to someone and you discover generosity. Then you become more generous so you passed the test and now you are a better person. The second way that you can take these tests is in a bad way. You can take them in a form of punishment and a way how the Tao and God want to make you suffer. The way you chose depends on your way of thinking if you look for the bright side of everything or prefer to look for the negative side of everything.