80. 小國寡民 A small country has fewer people.

Chapter 80 (八十) 

EIGHTY (Feng) 

A small country has fewer people. 

Though there are machines that can work ten to a hundred times faster than man, they are not needed. 

The people take death seriously and do not travel far. 

Though they have boats and carriages, no one uses them. 

Though they have armor and weapons, no one displays them. 

Men return to the knotting of rope in place of writing. 

Their food is plain and good, their clothes fine but simple, their homes secure. 

They are happy in their ways. 

Though they live within sight of their neighbors, 

And crowing cooks and barking dogs are heard across the way, 

Yet they leave each other in peace while they grow old and die. 

 ====== 

80 (fst) 

Lao Tzu had a dream 

about a small country 

with very few people. 

They didn't need machines 

to get their work done faster. 

They took their lives seriously, 

and stayed close to home. 

They may have owned 

boats and carriages, 

but they never went anywhere. 

They may have owned weapons, 

but they kept those weapons 

locked up, securely hidden. 

They had so few responsibilities, 

they never had to make a To-Do list 

to remember what had to be done. 

They enjoyed simple foods, 

dressed plainly, 

lived comfortably, 

and kept their traditions alive. 

And even though 

their neighbors were so close 

they could hear 

the dogs barking at night, 

they had no interest 

in leaving their homes, 

where they grew old peacefully 

and died. 

====== 80 (ah-san) 

Simplify your life. 

There's no need for high-tech gadgets, 

No need for excessive outward excitements, 

No need for fancy philosophies. 

Enjoy your food, 

Delight in your clothes, 

Live comfortably in your home, 

Be happy and content with it all. 

Stay in peace with your friends and neighbors, 

But don't meddle with their business.