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Laozi suggests that “able travelers leave no ruts or tracks along the way; Able speakers make no gaffes that might occasion reproach” (ch. 27, p. 119). Communicators must not draw too much attention to their words but must focus on the Dao. This also suggests another approach for noncontention—avoiding mistakes, perhaps over claims, thereby preempting further argument. Because knowledge is an attunement with the natural workings of the world, it is largely apprehended through the ongoing assessment of the world itself.

184–85) This communion allows one to be highly productive. Those with de can be thought of as “paragons of achieved excellence” (p. 61). Their de is both generated by their character and the recognition conferred by those around them (p. 60). Thus, those with de are efficacious because they manifest qualities of the Dao and produce outcomes that engender gratitude and appreciation, which further enables their accomplishments. In this sense, de is a marker for the Dao in an individual. When one has de, one is with the Dao.

Hence, life itself, as well as individual identity, is enabled by the natural way of things, and “nature” becomes a crucial touchstone for conduct. Just like everything else, nature has a oneness but it also can be differentiated or particularized. Nature may thus be universal, as in this example from Laozi: “for something to be old while in its prime is called a departure from the way of things. And whatever departs from the way of things will come to an untimely end” (ch. 30, Ames & Hall, 2003, p.