from Verse TwelveBut if we oppose heaven and are violent toward beings, then the sun and moon will be eclipsed, the stars will deviate from their courses, the four seasons will impinge upon one another, days will be dark and nights will be light, mountains will crumble and rivers dry up, there will be thunderstorms in winter and frost in summer.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
One argument I've heard made against nature-based philosophies like Taoism is that nature itself is violent so, if we utilize nature as our guide, then it's a-okay for humans to behave as violently as they choose. Such a rationale is advanced either by those who simply wish to be argumentative or by sincere individuals who, I believe, are missing a few of the basic elements.
There is no question that death -- as we define it -- is an inherent part of the natural order. Every being is born, lives and dies. All beings make use of our other beings to sustain their own life. This is a nice way of saying that, in order for any of us to live, other beings must die.
For humans, things need to die to provide us with the proper nourishment. If you are a meat-eater, then we're talking about other creatures. If you're a vegetarian like me, then we're talking about plant-based beings. However you slice it, we kill to live just like every other species.
For me though, there is a distinction between naturally killing to live and the kind of typical violence wrought by human beings. Most of the kinds of violence we perpetrate have nothing at all to do with our biological survival. No, the vast majority of the violent acts we commit are done to feed our egos.
We kill, maim, rape, abuse, oppress, hit and curse others to provide what we believe will relieve some aspect of our emotional selves and, more often than not, we find that the prescription provides, at best, only short-term relief! Therefore, just like any other drug, we continually find we must up the dose to get the effects we so desire.
This is NOT in keeping with the Way. In nature, death is impartial and it's nothing personal. It's not based on longings, desires, dreams or aspirations. It's very simply a matter of survival. No more, no less.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
There is no question that death -- as we define it -- is an inherent part of the natural order. Every being is born, lives and dies. All beings make use of our other beings to sustain their own life. This is a nice way of saying that, in order for any of us to live, other beings must die.
For humans, things need to die to provide us with the proper nourishment. If you are a meat-eater, then we're talking about other creatures. If you're a vegetarian like me, then we're talking about plant-based beings. However you slice it, we kill to live just like every other species.
For me though, there is a distinction between naturally killing to live and the kind of typical violence wrought by human beings. Most of the kinds of violence we perpetrate have nothing at all to do with our biological survival. No, the vast majority of the violent acts we commit are done to feed our egos.
We kill, maim, rape, abuse, oppress, hit and curse others to provide what we believe will relieve some aspect of our emotional selves and, more often than not, we find that the prescription provides, at best, only short-term relief! Therefore, just like any other drug, we continually find we must up the dose to get the effects we so desire.
This is NOT in keeping with the Way. In nature, death is impartial and it's nothing personal. It's not based on longings, desires, dreams or aspirations. It's very simply a matter of survival. No more, no less.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
very true. violence in nature doesn't mean nonsuffering... it is selfish and sometimes horrifying... but it serves a purpose. most animals kill to eat. some kill to teach their young, some kill to maintain personal boundaries (keeping the population in check.) a few kill to ascend rank, such as wolves in a pack, but this is rare and serves to unite the whole under a strong leader, not disrupt the unity.
ReplyDeletehowever, i can see wars as our human form of population control. in nature if a population gets too numerous that the earth can't sustain it, then it begins to die of starvation (which is happening in some third worlds countries) or they kill each other off (wars.) however in our pursuit of killing each other off, we have created weapons that not only will destroy the "enemy" but endanger everyone and this planet! if we were really such an "evolved" species then we would find a way of population control that does not damage the whole world! birth control is a good thing, but it is the individuals themselves who need to choose to use it and forego other violent habits.