If you have anything more important than your ego shot
you hit yourself so hard you won’t know what hit you.
If the ship is amazingly amazing,
Someone is going to steal the Heart of Gold.

If you let people think you come in six packs,
they are all going to want one.

The Big Z leads the galaxy by
giving people Pan-Galactic Gargleblasters,
being the best bang since the big one,
offering to show his spaceship,
and selling them secondhand biros.
His job is not to wield power
but to draw attention away from it.

Those with Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses
develop a relaxed attitude to danger.

The Taowel:

“If you have anything more important than your ego shot
you hit yourself so hard you won’t know what hit you.
If the ship is that amazingly amazing,
Someone is going to steal the Heart of Gold.”

If we let our egos guide us, we might as well hit ourselves in the head with a lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. When we only see ourselves, we forget to look around us and see the importance of others. 

A little modesty goes a long way, humility even further. If we inflate our egos, either through bragging about ourselves or by what we own or have, we are just asking for someone to take us down a notch. Better to just feel secure in ourselves without having to compare to others, if not only to preserve self image. We all have strengths and weaknesses, we do ourselves injustice by comparing ourselves to those of others.

“If you let people think you come in six packs,
they are all going to want one.”

We are cautioned not to overextend ourselves, to know our limitations, and admit to them even if we bruise the ego a bit. If we say we can do everything, people will expect everything from us. If we try to give more than we are able we not only fail ourselves but the people that may be depending on us. Better to give what we can, and not be afraid to ask for help when we need it. 

“The Big Z leads the galaxy by
giving people Pan-Galactic Gargleblasters,
being the best bang since the big one,
offering to show his spaceship,
and selling them secondhand biros.
His job is not to wield power
but to draw attention away from it.

Those with Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses
develop a relaxed attitude to danger.”

Even as Zaphod is oftentimes a terrible example of being a well rounded person, let alone not a complete jerk, he still leads by examples of both what to do, and what not to do. The Way of the Galactic Hitchhikers is in finding the wisdom to discern.

By mixing up Gargleblasters we are reminded to let things go, empty our minds from time to time of the worries and concerns that we face every day; even if we have to treat ourselves as if we were in fact a thirty ton mega elephant with bronchial pneumonia. Being the best bang since the big one, Zaphod shows us that we can make a name for ourselves. Staying mindful of our egos, it is what we do that builds us up. We impress far more with actions, than in boasting of ourselves. 

Offering to show us his spaceship he reminds us there is always something we haven’t seen, or something that we haven’t considered, and that we may come across these things in the most unlikely of times or places. Sometimes even at a fancy dress party. Like selling secondhand biros because you discovered the planet where all the missing ones go, we have to keep a keen eye out for opportunities, and seize on them when we can. 

He doesn’t really wield any power, or stand for anything in particular, rather Beeblebrox draws attention away from such things. At times we need this, we need distraction. We can’t of course always ignore the stress, problems, and issues of modern life; but it sure doesn’t help to slip on the Joo Joo Jantas once in a while and just not look at them. It’s the times we are stress free that we hold on to when the going gets tough.  

The Third Tao

If you overly esteem talented individuals,
people will become overly competitive.
If you overvalue possessions,
people will begin to steal.

Do not display your treasures
or people will become envious.

The Master leads by
emptying people’s minds,
filling their bellies,
weakening their ambitions,
and making them become strong.
Preferring simplicity and freedom from desires,
avoiding the pitfalls of knowledge and wrong action.

For those who practice not-doing,
everything will fall into place.

*From Tao Te Ching, by Lao-Tzu complete online text. Translation for the public domain by JH McDonald, 1996