Tao te Ching: 11

Thirty spokes are united around the hub to make a wheel,
But it is on its non-being that the utility of the carriage depends.
Clay is molded to form a utensil,
But it is on its non-being that the utility of the utensil depends.
Doors and windows aer cut out to make a room,
But it is on its non-being that the utility of the room depends.
Therefore turn being into advantage, and turn non-being into utility.

This chapter is the reason I started this blog. I was stunned by the implications of this chapter. Selah. Pause and consider.

When we think of a wheel, we might think of the ancient prototype of a wheel: a stone disk with an axle through it. It is a very Flintstone's image, but primitive carts were made exactly so, though usually out of wood. But when we think of a wheel now, we probably think of something with a hub and a rim with spokes connecting the two. Imagine a bicycle wheel.

Lao Tzu says that these spokes are united around the hub to make a wheel. So we have a wheel. It is here in our hands, and good for us. This is an advantageous thing to have. But why is it advantageous? A wheel helps us do work. It makes it easier to move things. How does the wheel work? We have a hole in the center for an axle. The non-being (the hole for the axle) makes the wheel useful. A wheel with spokes is more resistant to damage than a solid wheel is and it is certainly eaily mended. Were I to drive a solid wheel, at speed and with weight upon it, over a harder rock, it would simply crack or chip. Eventually this would destroy the wheel and a new one would have to be made. Yet, it might only damage the rim or a few spokes and therefore a spoked wheel could be replaced.

What is the difference between a fork and a spoon and a knife? The fork has tines, where a spoon has none. These tines, defined because of the gap between each, allow us to spear our food and eat it. It holds the food more securely than a knife because there are many tines rather than a sharp point. The spoon has a bowl, defined by the absence of wood or metal in the center, so that liquid or soft food may be held. It has no sharp edges and we may use it to put food into our mouths. The knife has a sharp edge and this is useful for cutting. The material removed from the edge makes it sharp, or perhaps serrated, and this lack makes it more useful.

What is a room without windows and doors but a box? One cannot use it because nothing can enter and nothing can leave.

Once you understand this, it will never leave you.