The 24th verse talks about cutting out ego-driven boastfulness from our lives. Laotzu mentions that an inner approval is healthy, but bragging about one’s talents and accomplishments is “odious and distasteful.” In the past 2 years, the themes of gratitude and letting go have played an important role in my life. When you’re in a constant state of gratitude, you start to realize that everything really is connected and essentially works in your favor, even the upsets and change of plans. That also ties in with letting go, because when you try to control everything, you end up being disappointed when things don’t go your way, regardless of whether the mishap was a blessing in disguise.

Also in this verse Laotzu states, “he who tries to shine dims his own light. he who rushes ahead doesn’t go far.” To me, the message here is to be cool. It’s important to have a strong sense of self, to find approval within oneself. But unfortunately we’ve been conditioned to overvalue external approval, and when we don't get it, we’re pressured to seek it out from others. It’s becoming apparent that a lot of people lack self awareness and emotional intelligence. Consequently, that leads to insecurity and people doing the most to get attention and/or approval. The themes of instant gratification and overconfidence are such a staple in our society, that without a solid foundation, you’d actually think this was the normal way to be. It’s no wonder Hip hop has such a strong hold on culture today. Most of the songs out are about how much money they have, how many people they’ve fucked or whatever metric system they choose to measure their success. I’m choosing to trade my ego-driven desires/actions with a little more gratitude and humility. The goal is to do my personal best, knowing that everything in the universe is perfect just the way it is, including me.

Ai-Creo