To what extent does modern reflection on the consequences of social and political actions follow archaic patterns? What can we learn from a 2300-year-old text about the enforcement of global economic mechanisms and a world that opens up to complex interconnections? Does the famous Daodejing of Laozi actually provide answers to our contemporary questions, or are we rather the ones, seduced by translators, projecting our own answers into the book? In a seemingly mystical way, the Daodejing possesses the ability to elicit the answers we need. The ancient Chinese philosopher is characterized by his ability to adopt multiple perspectives on reality without clinging to any one of them. He shifts between perspectives as the situation requires or allows. In this essay, Viktor Kalinke explores this question.