THE GREAT VESSEL

Chapter 41 of the Tao Te Ching says: “The great vessel is late in completion.” The meaning of this is the same as our familiar expression “Rome was not built in a day.” A big, worthwhile goal takes time to accomplish and cannot be rushed. If you push yourself too hard, you will end up with not a great vessel, but a leaky container.

This is why Tao cultivators do not stress themselves out. It is quite all right if they are not yet successful as they want to be. They never stop taking meaningful steps toward the goal, but their attitude is one of relaxed optimism. This is contrary to our success-obsessed society, where people compare themselves with one another and feel upset if they think they are lagging behind.

In life, we see evidence of leaky containers all the time. They are the hard-charging, aggressive personalities who keep pushing themselves for the bigger paycheck at the expense of health, family, relationships and peace of mind. By the time they realize the frantic rush does not work, their container of life is already broken into pieces. By then, it is too late.

The Tao Today

Heed the words of Lao Tzu and avoid the mistakes of others. Do not beat yourself up if you get to where you want to be more slowly than your peers. The important thing in life is not doing things quickly, but doing things correctly. Relax and take all the time you need to complete the great vessel of your own creation.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin