from Verse Eighty-FiveWhen you pray you utter taboo names, if you are drowning you will grab unto anyone, because the force and momentum of events makes you that way.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Why is religion so prevalent in human society? I think Lao Tzu offers a definitive clue.
Since there is so much we can't comprehend about life and existence, many feel as if they are drowning in a sea of uncertainty. They are desperate to find something to latch onto to keep them afloat. The idea that there is some supernatural being looking out for them and preparing a new home for them to live in forever more serves as a reachable buoy. So, to keep from being swept away in the current of the unknown, they latch onto it with all their might.
Like many, I once clung to that same life preserver too. However, little by little, I've come to see that, just because existence is filled with uncertainty, this doesn't mean I'm drowning. So, once I quit flailing around consciously trying to stay afloat, I didn't need a buoy after all.
The concept of wu wei had a real impact.
When a person starts to panic in a river, they expend much energy kicking and swinging their arms around wildly. Often, they fight against the current and, in short order, wear themselves out. If they would move with the current -- like turning in the direction of a skid on ice -- and simply try to float, they can make their way to the shore without assistance.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
Since there is so much we can't comprehend about life and existence, many feel as if they are drowning in a sea of uncertainty. They are desperate to find something to latch onto to keep them afloat. The idea that there is some supernatural being looking out for them and preparing a new home for them to live in forever more serves as a reachable buoy. So, to keep from being swept away in the current of the unknown, they latch onto it with all their might.
Like many, I once clung to that same life preserver too. However, little by little, I've come to see that, just because existence is filled with uncertainty, this doesn't mean I'm drowning. So, once I quit flailing around consciously trying to stay afloat, I didn't need a buoy after all.
The concept of wu wei had a real impact.
When a person starts to panic in a river, they expend much energy kicking and swinging their arms around wildly. Often, they fight against the current and, in short order, wear themselves out. If they would move with the current -- like turning in the direction of a skid on ice -- and simply try to float, they can make their way to the shore without assistance.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
i definitely like this analogy. when i was a christian, i imagined myself holding for dear life to a rocky ledge, to keep myself from falling. i thought i would fall, but when i let go, the truth is i could fly.
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ReplyDeleteVery interesting perspective of yours. I will certainly read more of your take on the philosophy of the Tao.
ReplyDeleteThe analogy is very good indeed.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have consistently noticed about leftists is that they take their own survival for granted.
ReplyDeleteMost live in cities, and can make as many fatal errors as they like without those errors ever actually being fatal.
In a more natural, hands-on setting, a fatal mistake often is fatal.
One learns from these events or one is no more.
Life preservers can be useful things.
Because one's inattention to one's own survival did not prove fatal this time, does not mean it never will.
It might not be so very wise to make a religion out of being careless.
Forunately, the river analogy featured a river that was not rushing headlong over Niagara Falls.
In such a case, thrashing wildly about might have some value.
Better to be worn out than smashed to pieces on the rocks.
Crow,
ReplyDeleteI see the river analogy as being very apropos to the one that goes over Niagara Falls. If you fall into the drink and the current is moving you toward the falls, it's important to get to shore rather quickly. If you thrash about wildly, you will wear yourself out and make little progress getting to one side or the other.
If, on the other hand, you patiently work with the current and diagonal to the nearest side calmly, you will have a good chance of averting disaster.
In addition, since you don't know that much about my history, I have lived in big cities, small towns and in rural areas throughout my life. In my late 20s, I lived on the side of a mountain in the Ozarks. My nearest neighbor was about 1.5 miles away on foot and about 2 miles by vehicle.