Tao of Heaven Liberalism Discussion Series
Heaven Tea Talk Nine: Retiring After Accomplishment. Why Isn’t the “Greatness” of the Leaders Good for the People?
Liu Jun Ning
Translated By: Selene Cong
Confucius: My elder, before coming here, I reread the ninth chapter with diligence. I realized that not only are you a great political philosopher, but your greatness also extends into the general philosophy of life. “Houseful of treasures is difficult to guard. One becomes arrogant from wealth and thus are punished.” These are great truths! Some rich people are indeed too arrogant.
Lao Tzu: Regardless of how you look at it, I consider my writing to be solely political. My words are only intended for the power-holders, not the riches. What I call houseful of treasures is not referring to rich households, but the power-holders. If Bill Gates were to keep his house full of treasures, it would be fine. Even if some rich people were arrogant, it would be their own personal styles. If a rich man cannot keep his riches, or is punished because of his arrogance, it still would not influence the lives of the people. Therefore, I do not care about such things. However, if the president of a country keeps his house full of treasures, then we must be watchful. We must inquire whether the money was acquired legitimately. Even if it was acquired legitimately, and that the wealth had been accumulated before he became a governor, then we must ask whether the abundance of the wealth would impair the fairness of his decisions and policies. Therefore, we must be cautious whenever money and power intertwine. We must watch out for this type of power-holders, not the common rich men. Actually, these people should know that there is no point in accumulating wealth through power. Can the offspring of the Manchu Dynasty keep what was left in the Forbidden City? Can Emperor Qin and his offspring keep E’Fang Palace? The rulers may ceaselessly seize treasures, but they may not forever keep what they seize.
Confucius: You support that it is better to leave a vessel unfilled than to carry it when it’s full. However, I don’t see anything wrong if the ruler is honest and frugal but chooses to spend all his energy on adding wealth to the national treasury and thus expanding the power of the state.
Lao Tzu: Not only is doing so not good, it is terrible. This type of honest and frugal rulers may be worse and more deceptive than greedy rulers. If the national treasury were to be endlessly enlarged, the state must take from the citizenry. Competing with the citizens and even depriving the citizens of their wealth will lead to the state being wealthy while the citizens are poor. What is the use of having a rich state when the people cannot even survive? Doing so is not strengthening the power of the state, but more like being belligerent. I have never seen any country last when the citizens are impoverished while the state is rich, because it [the strength of the state] is an artificial strength. Besides, when all the money in the national treasury is for the government officials, it’s hard for them not to be corrupted. Therefore, I do not believe that there are honest, frugal, and selfless rulers. Perhaps he is not after private gains, but he takes the entire country as his own. Is it better to move the entire wealth into the palaces or to keep it with the people? The answer is obvious.
Confucius: I am beginning to understand your point. I guess it is not enough to have good intentions when it comes to governing the state. We must see what kind of impacts the good intentions have on the people. Let us switch to a different topic: why must one retire after success? I believe that great leaders should continue to govern. As long as they are alive, their works should not cease; they must exert all their efforts and rest only after they die. This should be the necessary political character of a great political leader.
Lao Tzu: After anything reaches its prime, it will begin to decay; when the sun reaches the zenith, it will move away from the center; when the moon is full, it will wane; when the water is full, it will spill over; when the flower reddens, it will wither; over joy leads to sorrow. This is the law of nature. The law of politics should be the same. Nothing should be done in excess. It should stop at the right time. Showing one’s sharpness and chasing after honor are examples of excess and will inevitably lead to peril. There are too many examples of politicians becoming overly greedy and arrogant that they acquire a Napoleonic complex, leading to their own downfall. Actually, the Tao of Heaven never competes for honor or shows itself. The politicians see everything as their own success. Which one of them would think of it as the work of the Tao of Heaven?
Confucius: What if when a great leader is forced to retire, the one who replaces him is less than talented? What if an over ambitious man comes? To prevent having a over ambitious man from being in power, shouldn’t we keep the great politician?
Lao Tzu: An ordinary politician has his own purpose, to lower the people’s expectations of the leaders. If the term of office were limited, then when an over ambitious man came, he still would have to leave after the term is up. Ambitious men aren’t the worst. The worst are the vicious ones. Without limited office terms, you can’t get rid of him. To avoid the worst scenario, we must ask the best of the politicians to leave after their terms are up. The people should distrust any politicians and not blindly follow any great politicians. A great political system should permit the people to criticize the politicians, and permit even slanders, or slanders against the great leaders.
Confucius: You reminded me of the Taoist idea of the middle way and bravely receding in the rushing water. Everything should have its limits and we should avoid extremes.
Lao Tzu: That’s correct. The Confucian school values the middle way and the avoidance of extreme. This principle should be applied in politics. However, whether one retires after accomplishment should not be the responsibility of the power-holder, but on the arrangement of the system. Those politicians who know when to retire are rare and hard to find. A constitutional government that implements limited terms is the best example of a system of the Tao of Heaven. The Westerners have recognized this for a long time, but the Chinese are still confused. Not many can explain clearly the benefits of constitutional governments.
Confucius: But shouldn’t people strive for perfection? Wouldn’t it be giving up halfway?
Lao Tzu: Indeed, if one retires before one accomplishes one’s tasks, his actions will not be one with the Tao of Heaven. Therefore, one should do one’s best when dealing with something that need to be done, and one must succeed. However, one must remember to retire afterward. It’s like mountain-climbing. You can’t stay at the summit forever after you arrived there. However, what level of accomplishment is sufficient should be determined by the circumstances and this requires political wisdom. Therefore, we frequently see unwise and ambitious politicians refusing to retire under the guise of having yet to accomplish their great works.
Furthermore, it is impossible to reach the level of perfection. Besides, perfection is not a good thing. No matter how we wish for perfection, perfection is only good in theory. Perfection in its absolute form is death; imperfection is life. Life loves imperfection. Perfectionism or idealism only brings death, or death in pursuit of it, or death by it.
Confucius: It seems logical but I am still a bit confused. Isn’t it better for the leaders to be greater and more perfect? Are the people blessed by having great leaders?
Lao Tzu: No, I disagree. The best political leaders are those of medium intelligence. When they are in power, anyone can notice their imperfections. No one will worship them as the “bright suns.” The power of the state will cease to have its mystery and ultimacy, and the leaders will be exposed of their roles as public servants. A nation without a “bright sun” is the blessing of the people. If a leader is so great that everyone sees him as the sun, the savior, or the captain, then every individual will cease to glow, to think, and will be confused. In my opinion, great leaders are not the blessing of the people. When there is a great leader in a country, especially those self-proclaimed ones, it is most likely bad news. The pettiness of some politicians lies in their attempts of pretending to be the greatest.
Confucius: There are some so-called great politicians who have commit great evil, including harming me and my Confucian school, persecuting Confucianism through laws. However, there must be some politicians that you like, whether form the ancient times or the modern ones, at home or abroad.
Lao Tzu: Since the ancient times, I have like very few politicians. If you must ask me, then President George Washington of the U.S. is one of them. The greatness of Washington lies in his refusing to let himself be great. He understood the Tao of Heaven and retired when his power reached its apex. Ever since Washington, the U.S. has grown from a land of barbarism to and a great country of unrivaled power, while China has fallen from a worldly civilized state to a third-world nation. One of the reasons is that the kings are never willing to retire in China. The bright sun never wishes to set. Whether they succeed in their mission, they refuse to retire. Even when they have no choice, they’ll still control power from behind the scene. Other methods of their retirement include waiting for their natural death and uprising. The Tao of Heaven that lies in retiring after success is concealed. In comparison, the U.S. has succeeded in having a harmonious state, the precedence of retiring after success has been firmly established. With a system like this, the effective limit of power is guaranteed, and the rulers are forced to retire after their success. There will not be coups, internal rivalries because of the elimination of unrest. This is harmony through effective politics. Any political systems that agree with the Tao of Heaven are the ideal ones. Any politicians who follow the Tao of Heaven are truly the great politicians. There have been criminal, ignorant, and ineffective presidents in the history of the U.S., but no president could overthrow the political system that limits the terms of the presidents forcing them to retire.
We must remember that leaders such as George Washington are rare and hard to find. If, in reality, we find a leader that is like Washington, we must be extra cautious lest we are deceived by an imposter who wishes to remain in power. Therefore, only by limiting the terms of office and a constitutional government can we force leaders to exit the stage of power willingly regardless of his accomplishments. This is proof that the Tao of Heaven is universal and applicable in human nature and the policies of different nations.
Tao of Heaven Chapter Nine
It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to
carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been
sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness.
When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them
safe. When wealth and honours lead to arrogancy, this brings its evil
on itself. When the work is done, and one's name is becoming
distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven. (J. Legge Translation)
It’s not good to have more power. It is better to stop at certain limits. Do not become arrogant, rude, arbitrary, and belligerent just because you think you have power. This will not last. The wealth accumulated through power cannot be kept. If one has power and is arrogant and belligerent, one is hastening the arrival of one’s downfall. Do not hold on to political powers. Leave when the right time comes. This is the Tao of Heaven!
