Verse 5: Impartiality

Verse Five
Heaven and earth aren't humane.
To them the ten thousand things
are straw dogs.

Wise souls aren't humane.
To them the hundred families
are straw dogs.

Heaven and earth
act as a bellows:

Empty yet structured,
it moves, inexhaustibly giving.
~ Ursula K. Le Guin translation ~

Taoism is so unlike the Abrahamic religions and this typically makes it difficult for the western mind to grasp its concepts. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, humankind is created in the image of God and this supreme being manifests all the emotions of his creation. In Taoism, the forces and laws of existence are impartial -- neither good nor bad, loving nor hateful. Tao simply is.

As Ursula K. Le Guin remarks,

The "inhumanity" of the wise soul doesn't mean cruelty. Cruelty is a human characteristic. Heaven and earth -- that is, "Nature" and its Way -- are not humane; they are not human. They are not kind; they are not cruel: those are human attributes. You can only be kind or cruel if you have, and cherish, a self. You can't even be indifferent if you aren't different. Altruism is the other side of egoism. Followers of the Way, like the forces of nature, act selflessly.

But the follower of religion will protest, "What about morality? How will people know how to live the right way?"

The Taoist will respond, "By watching the natural flow of things." The sun doesn't shine out of love and the storm doesn't rage out of hate. If humans act with selfless intent, we will do what is needed when it is needed, not because of some external rule, but because it is the Way of the universe.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.