Explanation Of The Tao Te Ching Part Eighty

“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 cocks and barking dogs are heard across the way, 
Yet they leave each other in peace while they grow old and die.”

This is an ode to the importance of simplicity. Complexity of all kinds causes arguments, dissatisfaction, neediness, addictions and eventually war.

When people live a simple, practical life, when their needs are few, they are happier, peaceful and more content.