← The Dao De Jing
Chapter 7
Heaven Is Long, Earth Is Lasting
天长地久
The Text
天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其无私邪？故能成其私。
Heaven is long-lasting and earth endures because they do not live for themselves. That is why they can go on so long. The wise put themselves last, and come out in front; disregard themselves, and are kept. Is this not because they are without self-interest? That is how the private is fulfilled.
Reading it
Not a trick. The line simply observes that things which do not compete for a position do not lose one. Lastingness is what survives when the self is not the project.
不是权术，是观察：不为位置竞争的东西，也不会丢掉位置。长久，是自我不再是项目时剩下的那部分。
Practice for the week
Put someone else first once this week — fully, on purpose, and do not tell them you did.
这周把一个人放在自己前面——完整地、有意识地，并且不告诉他。