sdi

Heaven and earth are indifferent, and regard all things as straw dogs.
[Similarly,] the wise man is indifferent, and regards people as straw dogs.
Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows?
It is empty, but doesn't lack; it moves, but doesn't change for all its coming and going.
Much talk counts for little, and is not in keeping with guarding the center.

(Laozi, Tao Te Ching V, as adapted by yours truly.)

[A "straw dog" is a temporary icon, used in religious ritual and discarded afterwards.]