The Uncarved Block

There are many interpretations of the 'uncarved block' at least, I suppose that there are, and at one point I truly struggled with the concept. But humans have a tendency to simply maneuver around phrases they do not understand, look at them from behind, and spin them so the light in one's mind hits it just right. Before, I took the saying at face value. Uncarved, meaning unspecialized, unused, blank, in a sense. But this did not really work, because such a state is impossible. Even with no personal or outside influence, a human is still carved to be a human. As well, if such a meaning were true then the author of the book that inspired me to read the Toa Te Ching is a hypocrite. Based on the Te of Piglet he is anyway, but I did not quite know this yet. In any case, at some point I realized that the uncarved block is not unattainable, because the uncarved block does not mean a lack of shaping, but rather a lack of definition. For instance, I may know a whole lot about a specific disagreement between two friends, but remaining uncarved, I make no opinion about it. I choose no sides and make the conscious decision not to become angry or frustrated in an out of line way, because problems tend to solve themselves with time, and when things need to be fixed, gentle tugs and pushes make better impact than forceful yanks and shoves. Water shapes the earth over many many years, and the results are pleasing and firm. Man shapes the earth over few months, and the results lack pleasure or sturdiness. The block is not uncarved in its knowledge or ability, but rather by its equanimity.