from Verse Thirty-ThreeThose who know how to nurture the harmony of life cannot be hooked by profit. Those who know how to join inside and outside cannot be seduced by power.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
There's another aspect of profit that a lot of people don't like to talk about in polite company -- any time we take more than we need, we deprive someone else.
Profit is the mentality of selfishness. It's a way of saying that my desires are more important than your basic needs. In a world of finite resources, when some take too much, it means some don't get enough!
We see this dynamic at work in the differences between the "western world" and everyone else. On a per capita basis, those of us who live in the US use more energy, cause more pollution and eat up more of the world's natural resources than almost any other nation. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the residents of Africa and South America struggle to eke out a bare subsistence of life. In other words, OUR profit is at THEIR expense.
Though Lao Tzu didn't coin the phrase "Live simply so others can simply live," he says as much in the different works attributed to him. It's a good message to live by because it embraces the notion that all of us are connected.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Profit is the mentality of selfishness. It's a way of saying that my desires are more important than your basic needs. In a world of finite resources, when some take too much, it means some don't get enough!
We see this dynamic at work in the differences between the "western world" and everyone else. On a per capita basis, those of us who live in the US use more energy, cause more pollution and eat up more of the world's natural resources than almost any other nation. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the residents of Africa and South America struggle to eke out a bare subsistence of life. In other words, OUR profit is at THEIR expense.
Though Lao Tzu didn't coin the phrase "Live simply so others can simply live," he says as much in the different works attributed to him. It's a good message to live by because it embraces the notion that all of us are connected.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I have to admit that the Financial Times adverts running in Australia on bus stops are well designed and eye catching but they carry quite the opposite message to Mr Wen here.
ReplyDeleteThe current Ad is:
A gain, and a gain and a gain..
Financial Times.
And I said, as you did, yes but where is this gain coming from?
I'd like to think the "western world" is based on the idea that if you find something you enjoy and become good at it you can exchange the effort that you put in for the effort of others who value what you do. I really enjoy this blog, but (for me) the idea of life as a zero sum game doesn't seem to flow with the way.
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteI don't understand your point. Nothing I wrote in this post said anything about value. It had to do with taking more than one's fair share and the ramifications of such.
Sometimes the Rambling Taoist confuses The Way with his socialist outlook. It's difficult to see, sometimes, that something that looks so good on paper, can - upon closer scrutiny - be utterly against nature and the natural flow of life.
ReplyDeleteGaining stature and the wherewithal to survive is a survival trait.
Giving it all away is not.
Somewhere between the two a balance probably exists.
Crow it is still a me as separate to the world view you express. Verse 34 explains it well.
ReplyDeleteCrow,
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference -- one recognized by Lao Tzu and yours truly -- between obtaining what we need to survive and taking more than we need.
Only a person who has taken more than they need to survive has the capacity to give the EXCESS to others.
I too see the socio-political interpretations that RT makes. I am curious what interpretation is given to " you give to knowing how "to join the inside and outside." This seems mystical to me. Since I think you equate "mystical" with "religious" (I don't), just interested in your interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could read Chinese.
I mean:
ReplyDeleteI am curious what interpretation you give to knowing how "to join the inside and outside."
Baroness,
ReplyDeleteI take it to mean that the distinction between our inner and outer lives is an illusion. If all things are of the One, then those who understand the eternal unity could be said to "join the inside and outside."
I don't think socialism would be part of the natural flow of life insofar as it would *take* from those who have achieved some level of adaptation vis-a-vis their environment and *give* to those who have demonstrated incapacity vis-a-vis their environment.
ReplyDelete