138．任其自然的艺术

任其自然的艺术。风浪越大，你越应顺其自然，公事与私事都要如此。生活中时常会有飓风，情感中常有暴雨，这时，明智的做法是退入一个安全的港湾，静待风浪消退。治疗常让疾病恶化，在这种情况下，你要顺应自然和天道。聪明的医生懂得什么时候不开药，有时，不治疗反而更见功夫。想要止住愚昧大众的吼声，最好的方法就是袖手旁观，待其平息。现在的让步，是为了不久后的征服。井水一搅就浑，不会因为我们折腾它而澄清，如不去动它，它自然会清。对付混乱的最好方法就是任其自然，这样它们自会平息。

138．The art of letting things alone

The art of letting things alone. The more so the wilder the waves of public or of private life. There are hurricanes in human affairs, tempests of passion, when it is wise to retire to a harbour and ride at anchor. Remedies often make diseases worse: in such cases one has to leave them to their natural course and the moral suasion of time. It takes a wise doctor to know when not to prescribe, and at times the greater skill consists in not applying remedies. The proper way to still the storms of the vulgar is to hold your hand and let them calm down of themselves. To give way now is to conquer by and by. A fountain gets muddy with but little stirring up, and does not get clear by our meddling with it but by our leaving it alone. The best remedy for disturbances is to let them run their course, for so they quiet down.