Hold fast to the great form (Tao),Why this feeling of sarcasm here? The modern mind isn't alone in using the wit of sarcasm, but here Lao Tzu is voicing the unenlightened and their disdain for the Tao. Why would we listen to something we can't hear, look at something we can't see? Because it is inexhaustible when we use it. It is always there, and the tool never dulls. Only the user.
And all the world will come.
They come and will encounter no harm;
But enjoy comfort, peace, and health.
When there are music and dainties,
Passing strangers will stay.
But the words uttered by Tao,
How insipid and tasteless!
We look at Tao; it is imperceptible.
We listen to it; it is inaudible.
We use it; it is inexhaustible.
How does that tie in to the first part?
Ruling through wu-wei does not cultivate cunning or ambition, so the world is comfortable and peaceful and healthy. Theoretically. They didn't really suffer from the population pressures we do now back then, though they had their own versions. There have always been optimal spots to live. And that is the last part. If there are things that delight the senses, then visitors will stay. If there are not, then they will pass on through to wherever they need to be.
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