Mayor Jake Woodford: I now call to order the Wednesday, May 7, 2025 meeting of the Appleton Common Council. Please rise for the invocation which will be delivered by Alder Meltzer.
Alderperson Vered Meltzer (District 2): Thank you. I am going to read a selection from the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese poem. It’s thouands of years old, and it’s been a very important underpinning to a lot of the culture that we know and love. Notably, recently we celebrated May the Fourth be with you all. Joseph Campbell was certainly inspired by the Tao Te Ching. So this is a poem that I’ve turned to consistently over the years and over my life. It gives me comfort. It–when things don’t make sense, it helps me make sense of them. So I just wanted to share two chapters with you all tonight.
The supreme good is like water which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the universal way. In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you. Fill your bowl to the brim, and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife, and it will blunt. Chase after money and security, and your heart will never unclench. Care about people’s approval, and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. That is the only path to serenity. Thank you.
Be the first to reply