Sunday, January 17, 2010

Wen Tzu - Verse 121, Part I

from Verse One Hundred Twenty-One
Governing the world by means of the Way is not a matter of changing human nature; it is based on what people have, bringing that to light and developing it.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
I think there are three basic conceptions of human nature. The first, which is prevalent in the west, is that the human species is mean, selfish and brutish. We need to be saved from ourselves. The second, held by what many refer to as New Agers, believe that people basically are good, honest and loving. The third, the Taoist position, is that, since everything originates from the same source, human nature is the same as the nature of Tao, the Way.

Humanity's collective problem is that our species alone has lost touch with essential nature. So, the task of leaders and sages is to try to coax and motivate each of us to return to the root -- to tap in to the source. A sage can light the way, but each person must take the journey on their own.

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

2 comments:

  1. This commentary dove tails nicely with some of what I've been reading lately, Jesus For The Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong. The idea that we developed religions as a means of soothing our savage souls and because we need to be "saved from ourselves" permeate his book.

    We, for the most part, have lost touch with our essential nature, living in our artificial world. Unfortunately, most of our leaders are also far removed from the source.

    The few sages still living in the world have almost no voice in our 21st century societies, drowned out by the relentless drone of television and the rest of the entertainment industrial complex.

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  2. Good post...I agree. There is no need for salvation...we just need to reflect back on our face before it was born, fart and have a good laugh.

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