Pat, Vanna, and Tao Te Ching Ch. 9

When enough is enough, it's enough

May 19, 2025

Wheel…of…misfortune!

I loved watching Wheel of Fortune as a kid. So exciting! (And, I love word puzzles.)

Did you watch it? I remember way back when, contestants could go shopping with their winnings. Their little head would float in a corner of the screen while they went on TV’s greatest shopping spree.

“Pat, I’ll take the porcelain cat for $300, please. And I’ll take the trip to Anguilla for $4000, please.

Anguilla…10-year-old me didn’t know where the heck that was, but wow, it sounded fanTAStic!

Anyway, I remember seeing contestants build their bank higher and higher, and think, why don’t they solve it? Solve it now! Anguilla awaits!

The puzzle would look like this: “_ack and _ill went up the hill,” and the person would say, “Pat, I’m gonna spin one more time.”

One…more…time.

Three tiny words. Eleven little letters.

But wow, the damage they can do.

Around and around the big wheel would go. It would slow and slow. Millions of people in households across the country held their breath.

Then the wheel would stop – pausing in the difficult space of one of two horrible possibilities: “Bankrupt” or “Lose a Turn.”

A forced, uncomfortable smile would break meekly across the crushed contestant’s face while they would exclaim, “That’s ok! That’s ok!” as they clapped for the next person.

Was it really ok to see all that money disappear?

Was it really ok to lose a chance to buy a porcelain cat or settle into the sands of Anguilla?

Well, only the contestant knew for sure.

The wheel and the Tao

That brings us to the Tao Te Ching – 81 verses that form the crown jewel of Taoism. Ascribed to the Chinese philosopher Laozi (or Lao Tzu), the Tao Te Ching gives brilliant insights into life and living in harmony with the Tao.

One of my favorite chapters is 9, presented here from a favorite translation of mine:

It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to
carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been
sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness.

When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them
safe. When wealth and honours lead to arrogancy, this brings its evil
on itself. When the work is done, and one's name is becoming
distinguished, to withdraw into obscurity is the way of Heaven.

There are so many beautiful ways to interpret the verses in the Tao Te Ching (which is what makes it so powerful), but when I read this passage, I think of it as a commentary on amassing wealth or holding on to things.

Not a warning, exactly.

But a commentary.

No…amassing or holding (or spinning!) are not bad in and of themselves. But we must be aware that things may not last.

So, if we carry a pail full of water, we must know that some will spill out along the way.

If we sharpen the finest pencil and revel in writing with the gorgeously fine tip, we must accept it will dull with use.

If we amass treasure, we must understand that others may come for it – or, that the riches we thought would bring us security may lead to worry over their disappearance.

If we become famous or full of honor, we may at one point be laid low (either by ourselves or others).

Chapter 9 is not a prohibition, then, but an awareness.

You may interpret these verses differently. That is your way. This is just me explaining my way.

When we tell Pat we want to spin that wheel of dazzling riches and possibility one more time – even when our bank is full to overflowing and the answer is staring us in the face – we risk losing it all to the next person in line.

We risk the cat, the trip, the fame, the fortune…or, our sense of calm, peace, and self.

This may happen. This may not happen.

This is all we need to know.

Live with awareness, and a nod to simplicity.

Spin a little, but know when to stop

Here’s the MtE tip: Don’t spin the wheel TOO much.

Sure, the metaphor is inelegant. Even if the contestant solves the puzzle and walks away with the cat and the trip, those could disappear in the future.

I get that.

But I think the point is still sound: One who carries a gameshow bank filled with riches risks losing some along the way.

That doesn’t mean you don’t go on the show. It doesn’t mean you sit up all night and guard the porcelain cat from burglars.

It means you live in the middle.

Collect some special things. Make some money. Spin the wheel once in a while. Enjoy your life!

Happiness in this modern world doesn’t depend on monasticism.

But if you can, and if you feel moved to, spend some time appreciating what you DO have in your life already.

Stop spinning and solve the dang puzzle.

I know, I know. You’ve heard this gratitude song and dance before (you actually heard it from me in an article here, along with a list of real-world benefits), but it’s so important.

A few minutes of checking in with the life we have puts things into perspective. It gives us a pause to sit with what’s good.

Look, there’s always a Pat Sajak standing at the ready, waiting to let us gamble and gather on that big wheel.

There’s always someone who will want what we have. There’s always a scammer trying to take it. There’s always something waiting to dull our sharp points.

But at the end of the day, the question is this: Can you be ok with ok and know when enough is enough?

Mastering the Everyday

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