I could not help but think of the Buddhists teachings when reading your blog on Dao De Jing. A kinder, simpler, introspective "way." The Buddha was born around 580 B.C.E. and his teachings spread far and wide. Did you come across any connection between Dao De Jing at around 500 B.C.E. in China and the Buddha in India after 550 B.C.E. or is it just another one of those strange coincidences?

In my studies on The Analects of Confucius, the personality traits you mentioned did not occur to me. But you make a good argument. The amount of information gave me a better insight into the Dao De Jing.  



Thanks!