When the great Tao is forgotten, Kindness and morality arise. When wisdom and intelligence are born, The great pretense begins. When there is no peace within the family, Filial piety and devotion arise. When the country is confused and in chaos, Loyal ministers appear. -Translation by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
When something no longer comes to us naturally–when the intellect begins to see itself as independent and begins analyzing everything it once knew away–and as a result there is disorder and conflict, there are attempts to find some concept, ideal or virtue that will help bring things back under control.
Thus, when the country is doing poorly because the people in charge no longer understand how to rule, there arises the theory that the country’s problems can be solved by appointing “loyal ministers”, and when the family is in disunity there arises the theory that its members ought to practice “filial piety” and “devotion.”
These theories attempt to regain what has been lost, but they are bound to fail because they don’t bring one any closer to the source (the Tao), which the intellect “separates” us from.
Under the Spell of Words 