Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Seventy Eight 

“Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water. 
Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better; 
It has no equal. 
The weak can overcome the strong; 
The supple can overcome the stiff. 
Under heaven everyone knows this, 
Yet no one puts it into practice. 
Therefore the sage says: 
He who takes upon himself the humiliation of the people is fit to rule them. 
He who takes upon himself the country’s disasters deserves to be king of the universe. 
The truth often sounds paradoxical.”

Here the author is saying that ‘under heaven everyone knows this’ but 2500 years later it seems that we don’t. Bruce Lee famously says ‘be like water’ but still everyone tries to use force and external strength. Classical martial arts use yielding so that a smaller person can defeat a larger one. Having that ‘soft front’ supported by a strong back is a great strategy for relationships, work life, business and politics.

If politicians lack the empathy and compassion to take on the suffering of society they shouldn’t take on that role, because we need leaders that we can relate to and take our problems seriously. Water wears away stone, water people are empathic, fluid, compassionate and can be incredibly and powerfully patient and stubborn.