Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Wen Tzu - Verse 166, Part II

from Verse One Hundred Sixty-Six
Even if you have knowledge and ability, it is necessary to make humanity and justice the basis, upon which knowledge and ability can then be established and practiced in concert. Sages uniformly make humanity and justice their guideline: those who conform to the guideline are called superior people, those who do not conform to the guideline are called inferior people. Even if superior people are destroyed, their repute is not diminished; even if inferior people gain power, their faults are not eliminated.
~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
One of my chief criticisms of the concept of morality -- one that I think both Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu agree with -- is that it creates a mechanism in which people often do the right thing for the wrong reason. Instead of doing the right thing because it IS the right thing to do, the person who utilizes morality as their guide does the right thing in order to receive a reward or avoid a sanction. In other words, a moral system is one that focuses on self-interest above anything else!

The question of right versus wrong or productive versus unproductive or beneficial versus harmful always is focused inward. It becomes a question of "What do I get out of it?"

When our focus solely is pointed inward, we are bound to make poor choices because we will neglect to see the mosaic of interconnected relationships before us. What may serve us well may not serve the entirety of the situation well at all.

And this is why Lao Tzu harps on the idea of going with the flow of a given situation or circumstance. When we adopt this perspective, our vision is focused outward and we do what is necessary -- and nothing more -- to move with the current. This does not mean necessarily accepting the status quo as is, but if you advocate change, you do so in a way that blends in with the flow and gently nudges it in a new direction.

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

2 comments:

  1. a term i have come to like recently, is "earth reverent". generally if a belief system is "earth reverent" then it focuses on improving the whole earth, not just gaining personal rewards.

    it's strange how i started with an attitude of pure cynicism while i was immersed in christianity and right after i left it... i literally thought no one does anything except for selfish reasons, and now i'm becoming more hopeful of humanity and seeing people who want to genuinely improve their communities and the earth without hope of "eternal reward". some of them are religious, some are not.

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  2. Great post! Very helpful, thank you.

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