xix. simplify

If we could discard knowledge and wisdom

Then people would profit a hundredfold;

If we could discard duty and justice

Then harmonious relationships would form;

If we could discard artifice and profit

Then waste and theft would disappear.

 

Yet such remedies treat only symptoms

And so they are inadequate.

 

People need personal remedies:

Reveal your naked self and embrace your original nature;

Bind your self-interest and control your ambition;

Forget your habits and simplify your affairs.

Done