Finding the Courage to Lay Low

I, like many people this week, spent some time trying to make sense of the recent outbreak of violence between Georgia and Russia. While doing so, I pulled out a topographical map of the region to get a better feel of the area's geography, and I discovered that Georgia is a lowland country surrounded by mountains. Observing the mountainous area, and the relative sizes of the two nations in question, I was immediately reminded of the advice of the sage Lao Tzu:

A great country is like a lowland,
Toward which all streams flow.
It is the reservoir of all under heaven,
The feminine of the world.
The female overcomes the male with stillness,
By lowering herself through her quietness.

So if a great country lowers itself before a small one,
It wins friendship and trust.
And if a small country can lower itself before a great one,
It will win over that "great" country.
The one wins by stooping;
The other, by remaining low.

— Tao Te Ching, 61

In the news this morning, I receive the wave of reports of troop movements and bombings as well as all the posturing, fault finding, tough talk, accusations, and finger pointing among the leaders of Georgia and Russia. At the same time, the papers and news websites are closely examining the reactions of our own president and presidential candidates, labeling them as "milquetoast," "bellicose," and "measured."

I'm left to wonder, can Georgia, the small country, lower itself before Russia, the great one? Can Russia, the great country, find a way to do the same? I read "lowering" in Lao Tzu's passage to mean remaining still and observing situations with humility, awareness, and compassion. An image comes to mind of bending down to listen to the wisdom that's inherent in a blade of grass. And that requires silence. And discipline, too. And perhaps even a willingness to appear vulnerable.

Might these two nations — one great and one small — benefit by following the advice to lay low? Of course. And in our own personal conflicts, can we summon the will to resist the urge to attack or to counter? Can we find a way embrace the feminine, and win by stooping? I think so.

But that's a much harder thing to do than fighting, it seems.