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53. If I had but little knowledge I should, in walking on a broad way, Fear getting off the road. Broad ways are extremely even, But people are fond of by-paths. In order to begin understand the meaning of theses first few lines, we must change the “I” to “we” in the first 2 lines. It would read: If we had but little knowledge We should, in walking on a broad way, Fear getting off the road. Loa Tzu is saying that if we just a little understanding of the world we wouldn’t want to move away from the Tao. He’s saying that we should fear moving away from the Tao (broad way/road) because that could be the worst thing we can do. Lao Tzu then goes on to say that “Broad ways are extremely even, But people are fond of by-paths.” He’s simply talking about mans tendency to look for short cuts in everything we do. Loa Tzu is implying that following the Tao is indeed a long and arguably, a dull journey, but it is the best one. The courts are exceedingly splendid, While the fields are exceedingly weedy, And the granaries are exceedingly empty. Elegant clothes are worn, Sharp weapons, are carried, Foods and drinks are enjoyed beyond limit, And wealth and treasures are accumulated in excess.
Approximate Word count = 811
Approximate Pages = 3.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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