in the *daodejing*, book 15 reflects on the use of what isn't — the use of a [[wheel]] stems from the emptiness between spokes, of a [[vessel]] the emptiness between the fired clay, of a [[house]] the emptiness between its walls; what exists (materially) is tied to profit, but what isn't is tied to use. with [[buttons]], we might marvel at the [[patterns]] on their [[surface]], of [[strata]] and [[paint]] ![[20240917161851.png]] or the way the light reflects around [[pearl]] ![[20240917161903.png]] [[waves]] and [[faultlines]] ![[20240917161928.png]] the same uniform circle, not only a window for the eye to look through, but for thread as well as needle to weave around. but here unaffixed they resemble the eyes of insects consider the porous bodies of a [[rope]] of leaves and the light they generously allow passage to. they understand what it means to share. ![[20240917162647.png]]