the hub in tao te ching

Source: Lao Tzu. Tao Teh Ching. (trans. John C.H. Wu). Boston & London: Shambhala (1990), ch 11, p. 15 (caps mine).

Note: Lao Tzu literally means Old Master, supposedly a record keeper of the Zhou dynasty; whose authorship of the book is debated by scholars, some claiming it is a compilation of sayings (wikipedia).

      Tao Te Ching may be translated as "The Classic (Ching) of the Way's (Tao) Virtues (Te)." It is divided into two parts: the Tao Ching (chapters 1-37) and the Te Ching chapters 38-81). According to tradition, it was written in the 6th century BC (wikipedia). 

Tao Te Ching
in silk 2 BC

"Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub; 

It is on the HOLE in the center that the use of the cart hinges.

We make a vessel from a lump of clay;

It is the EMPTY space within the vessel that makes it useful.

We make doors and windows for a room;

But it is these empty spaces that make the room livable.

Thus, while the tangible has advantages, 

It is the INTANGIBLE that makes it useful."

Commentary: 

Under the heading "Interpretation and Themes" is the heading "Emptiness" quoting the same passage I cited above, with this commentary:

"Philosophical vacuity is a common theme among Asian philosophical traditions including Taoism (especially Wu wei "effortless action"), Buddhism, and some aspects of Confucianism. One could interpret the Tao Te Ching as a suite of variations on the "Powers of Nothingness". 

This predates the Buddhist Shunyata philosophy of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" by half a millennium. Emptiness can mean having no fixed preconceptions, preferences, intentions, or agenda. Since "The Sage has no heart of his own; He uses the heart of the people as his heart." (chap. 49, tr. Waley). From a ruler's point of view, it is a laissez-faire approach" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching).

My Interpretation:

The reason why I included this quote in this my life principle # 1 is that it reverberates with another quote I will cite after this from Fr. Henri Nouwen, positively citing the hub of the wooden wheel as the CENTER of power.

Ultimately, it refers, for me, to God. The aspect of invisibility (or emptiness) is an attribute of the divine. Creation in the Christian tradition is bringing forth something out of NOTHING. Only an intelligence, all-powerful divine being can do that. And so, it is with this Christian viewpoint (or others may say, bias) that I am interpreting and quoting this passage.

In Jungian psychology, I connect this with the Self archetype which is able to bring together different aspects of our personality into some form of synthesis, a command center, the CPU of a computer, where all its activities are coordinated and controlled.