Tao Te Ching, 46

There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.

There is no greater guilt than discontentment.

And there is no greater disaster than greed. (Tao Te Ching, 46)

Today, I would try to interpret this cannon from the topic "Harmfulness of Knowledge and Desire".

Throughout the cannon, it can be drawn out that negativity will bring chaos in one mans life. This is to say that when a man lives in a life full of bad thinking and bad quality, the result that he will get will also be bad. The saying "Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you" supports this cannon in the sense that if someone has done something wrong to others, then it will be the same thing that will be done unto him. If someone wanted to be treated kindly, then it will also be the same way he treats the other people. It is like a reward and punishment scheme wherein one is rewarded for everything good he has done and punished if its the other way.

From "Doing what you expected or wanted", the cannon is also saying that negativity brings in so much from what the person had done. Whatever bad thing he planted, he will reap off something even bigger that is why it is stated "...there is no greater disaster than greed". Greed is a negative principle that one has to avoid for a man who lives in greed is someone who prioritizes worldly things than virtues. In Confucian Philosophy, virtues are more important than other worldly things and living in greed, which is worldly, is not a good kind of living. Given that greed is a negative attitude, its product will also be negative. The saying "Give and you will get a hundredfold return" only proves that whatever is sown, its product will be much more. Since negativity is the seed planted, then it is expected that something negative will also be sought and like a tree that bears many fruits, the act or thinking will also bear a lot of negativity.

In conclusion, the cannon is saying that negativity brings chaos in one mans life. If he is living in it, then it will also be the same thing that goes back to him and it will be even greater. No man wanted all bad things to happen unto him and so the above mentioned negatives are the greatest chaos that would happen in him.