Man's Place in Tao

In tao, man is insignificant. Chou states, "Heaven and earth are not kind: The ten thousand things are straw dogs to them"(5). By this statement, he means everything on the earth and in the heavens is insignificant because there is so much of it. Later he states, "Sages are not kind, people are straw dogs to them"(5). The reader infers that because man and the ten thousand things are straw dogs, they are insignificant to Tao and its teachers, the sages. Later Chou adds, "Longwinded speech is exhausting. Better to stay centered"(5). Chou means that do not lose focus on the individuals place in the universe. Man is insignificant compared to heaven and the Tao. Man should be humble before the Tao and accept it.