Tao Te Ching – Chapter Seventy-Seven
Written by Lao-tzu – From a translation by S. Mitchell
As it acts in the world, the Tao,
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency,
so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much,
and gives to what isn't enough.
Those who try to control,
who use force to protect their power,
go against the direction of the Tao.
They take from those who don't have enough,
and give to those who have far too much.
The Master can keep giving,
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
and doesn't think that she is better
than anyone else.
How I Read This Chapter
The Way restores balance,
lifting the low,
lowering the high,
bringing harmony to all.
It gives where there is lack,
and releases what is too much.
It doesn’t cling to power,
or protect privilege.
It flows toward fairness,
toward enough.
The Master gives freely,
because they hold nothing tightly.
They do not act for applause.
they simply serve.
What This Means To Me
This chapter reminds me how distorted my sense of balance was in addiction.
I took too much and gave too little – too much space, too much energy, too much forgiveness that hadn’t been earned. I consumed and demanded and reached for more, always thinking I was lacking. And yet, what I truly needed – peace, honesty, connection – was quietly being starved.
Recovery has helped me see the world differently. It’s taught me that the Tao, like grace, redistributes gently. It doesn’t punish or favour – it restores. Not by force, but by rebalancing what’s out of alignment.
That image of the bow – the top drawn down, the bottom raised up – shows how the Tao levels things out. In my life, that looked like ego being softened and self-worth being restored. It looked like grandiosity being brought low and brokenness being gently lifted. I didn’t need to be crushed, and I didn’t need to be exalted – I just needed to be right-sized.
Step Seven speaks to this: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” Not to become better than others, not to become flawless – but to be balanced, whole, honest.
“Those who try to control… go against the direction of the Tao.” That was me, for so long. I manipulated outcomes, withheld truth, clung to illusions of power. But in doing so, I only deepened the imbalance. I fed the parts of me that were already swollen with pride, and starved the parts that were still tender and in need of healing.
Now, I try to live more like the Master – giving what I can, without keeping score. Sponsorship has taught me this. I share not because I have all the answers, but because I have lived through the questions. I give time, not because I am superior, but because someone once gave time to me.
“She acts without expectation, succeeds without taking credit.” That’s recovery at its best. We help each other not to feel powerful, but to stay sober. The moment I begin thinking I’ve done it all myself, I lose touch with the grace that carried me here.
The Tao reminds me that wealth – true wealth – is found in what I’m willing to let go of. When I stop clinging, I have more to give. When I don’t need recognition, I receive a deeper kind of fulfilment.
Today, I try to give back what was freely given. Not to fix anyone. Not to shine. But simply to keep the balance. To lift what is low. To let go of what is too much. And to trust that the Tao, like recovery, knows how to do the rest.
