It is at once working in harmony with nature and working in harmony with our true selves. Virtue is thus action that is based on an understanding of Tao or of universal principles transformed into action. Teh , or virtue, is principled action. If we agree that the Tao implies an understanding that all of creation is a unity, then to act against others is in effect to act against ourselves. We cannot help being virtuous if we act in accord with the Way.
Low virtue is a busyness Pretending to accomplishment.
If the impulses governing an individual are self-centered then the doors to the Tao will close. Lao-tzu has given us a tool of understanding with which to open these doors. This understanding often escapes us, he says, for we are too concerned with the outer life of acquisition. Our self-worth is often measured by our possessions and power or rank, which are far too transient to be of any lasting value. The easiest of these to understand is the law of cause and effect, or karma.