Let every state be simple

like a small village with few people

There may be tools to speed things up

ten or a hundred times

yet no one will care to use them

There may be boats and carriages

yet they will remain without riders

There may be armor and weaponry

yet they will sit collecting dust

The people must take death seriously

and not waste their lives in distant lands

Let them return

to the knotting of cord

Let them enjoy their food

and care for their clothing

Let them be content in their homes

and joyful in the way they live

Neighboring villages are within sight of each other

Roosters and dogs can be heard in the distance

Should a man grow old and die

without leaving his village

let him feel as though there was nothing he missed

 

…Verse 80 from “Tao Te Ching”

Lao-Tzu, translated by Jonathan Star
ISBN: 978-158542-618-8