“Thirty spokes share the hub of a wheel;
yet it is its center that makes it useful.
You can mould clay into a vessel;
yet, it is its emptiness that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows from the walls of a house;
but the ultimate use of the house
will depend on that part where nothing exists.

Therefore, something is shaped into what is;
but its usefulness comes from what is not.”

Laotzu

(I first encountered this saying in University of Chicago Prof of Sociology Ron Burt’s “Brokerage and Closure”.

Nature abhors a vacuum. (Aristotle)

How to reconcile Aristole’s wisdom and LaoTzu’s emptiness?

The need for boundaries to keep the space and matter in balance.

#metaphor #Laotzu #Aristotle #emptiness #space #rest