The Tao of the Times

In China in the early 700s B.C., political and social conflict was raging. The Chou dynasty, driven from its seat by Western invaders, felt its authority crumble, and the Chinese people fought amongst themselves instead of unifying to defeat invaders. Within this hotbed of social disorder, Confucius and Lao-tzu emerged. Confucius lectured on social, moral, and political righteousness to quell the storm, while Lao-tzu did very little and tried to leave. On his cart, drawn by a black bull, he was stopped at a mountain pass and requested by the gatekeeper to write down his wisdom. This was the birth of the Tao Te Ching. This book of wisdom and divination poetically describes the indescribable, what it is to be human. It is The Way that it points to the underlying patterns of nature.

It's seemingly unrelated history, but just as our government falls into the hands of a madman and we see our country teetering on failing while we fight amongst ourselves for what it means to be an American, it is important to remember that humanity has had many cycles of unrest. Just putting it in perspective gives us a bit of spaciousness around our current trauma. Secondly, the advice of the Tao Te Ching is timeless. It resounds true no matter what time we are in. And that it was created within the throws of political upheaval gives it all the more validity.

The Tao concerns itself not only with the well-being of individuals but also with the methods by which consciousness could evolve and the subsequent harmony within social groups. Lao-tzu’s advice for dealing with pillage, tyranny, and slaughter was to do nothing. It seems that inaction in such circumstances would be dangerous. However, Lao-tzu’s version of inaction is peculiar and has more to do with the individual's deep well-being and understanding of the true nature of things

“The Sage does not boast; therefore, he is given credit.

He who acts - harms, and he who grabs- lets slip.”

In a nutshell, force defeats itself. Every action produces a reaction, every challenge a response, and off we go on the merry-go-round of drama. Lao-tzu describes nature as having a law of inertia where the tendency is to continue to be what it is. Interference with the natural state creates resistance. Human society is also a natural state, and any ruler who tries to act upon it ultimately creates a situation that results in the opposite of what was intended.  

Indeed, we can see that we are on a political pendulum. The farther it swings one way, the harder it swings back the other way. Instead of trying to change the world, perhaps we should concentrate on quelling the swing. We can rail against all that is going on or try to calm ourselves, find connection, and develop simplicity. This tactic might create more results than any soapbox we can yell from. Indeed, our environmental issues would ease if we chose simplicity, and our social issues might cool if we chose connection and caring.

“Use straightforwardness for civil government.

Use surprise for military operations.

Use non-involvement to take the world.

How do I know this?

The more taboos there are in the world, the poorer the populace is.

The more crafts the people have, the more exotic things are produced.

The more laws are promulgated, the greater the number of thieves.

Therefore, the sage says I contrive nothing, and the people are naturally civilized.

I am fond of tranquility, and the people are naturally upright.

I have nothing to do, and the people are naturally enriched.

I have no desire, and the people are naturally simple.”

 One of the statements that struck me was about taboos. It feels like the politically correct movement has created a lot of taboos as well as the politically right. On one side, we can’t say he or she, but on the other side, we can’t say global warming or even Covid. We can’t talk about the bible, and we can’t do rituals that aren’t’ our own because of cultural appropriation. It’s a world of Taboos. But strangely, it's not about sex, violence or drugs. You can do that as much as you want and post it all over social media. I wonder about social media and how much it has contributed to our current situation.

Lao-tzu had a hands-off approach because, from his perspective, fighting begets more fighting—case in point Palestine.  I think Lao-tzu would recommend something more like how Gandi handled the resistance to English occupation or how Martin Luther King handled racism – by not complying.

And we just had Buy-nothing-day. This day would make Lao-tzu happy. Promoted by the magazine Adbusters, it has become a holiday of the hip. I had such a good time not buying anything that I might make it a week-long event or even incorporate it into my lifestyle. It’s a release of time, energy, and money – a genuinely Taoist take on subverting the powers that be. If Tesla's sales went down, E=pie Musket would take notice. If people refused to work for Prump, he would be powerless. It’s a matter of everyone getting sick of these clowns and not feeding the alligators.

But how long does it take to get people to shift their views? Well, when Dollar Stores closes, and McDonald’s isn’t cheap anymore, then we’ll see real change. Until then, the Worldwide Wrestling Washington will continue to surprise and entertain us with their theatrics of distraction.

But as a hippy in the woods, I’m getting on the cart of keeping it simple. It’s one of the hippy values – simplicity, less is more. Another hippy value is seeking your truth and enlightenment. There was an experiment in Washington where 2,500 meditation masters came and meditated in D.C. On that day, crime dropped by 25%. This type of action could create real change. If we were all working on our enlightenment, there might be a soothing of the hysteria, a shift in consciousness. It’s not just woo-woo; it’s in the science of quantum physics and all the sacred books of the world. The kingdom of heaven is within.

But to calm our minds, we must work on it and stop fanning the flames. Each of us must find our peace and joy by seeking holistic wisdom in this time of craziness. I hope humanity resist the knee jerking responses and chooses instead to think carefully about how to create the real change we hope to see in the world. For like the yin-yang symbol shows, one extreme begets the other. The only way out of the paradox is for each one of us to understand and embody balance in body, mind, and spirit.