The middle path.
It is one of the recurrent themes in eastern philosophy, in general, and philosophic Taoism, in particular. In the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, both Taoist thinkers talk about how we each engage disharmony when we jump from one extreme to the other. We become blinded to all the potentialities before us and only see those within our myopic lens.
The person who skates on the extreme edge tends to fall easily because we leave ourselves little room to maneuver. If a small obstacle presents itself, we're moving so fast in a straight line that there is no time to jog around it or to stop to plot a new course.
Extremeness breeds tension and stress. When you pull a rubber band to its tightest point, it quivers as it fights to maintain its structural integrity. If it slips from your grasp, it will shoot off violently in an indiscriminate direction. If you pull it a bit tighter, it breaks and flops around before going limp.
One of the lessons in works like the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi is to avoid living a life of extremes and instead to take the more tranquil path of moderation. The message is focused on each of us as individuals, but the lesson applies equally to people in collective form.
I realize that some readers may wonder why I have recently gone off on a tangent against the so-called Christian Right. Why don't I merely stick to writing about Taoism and leave Christianity out of my discussions altogether?
My answer is that extremism by groups tends to generate disharmony, stress and tension for the whole of that society. While zealots come in all shapes and sizes, religious zealots are the most dangerous because they believe that they are doing the bidding of a supernatural entity -- a god. When people believe in something this powerful and irrational, they will go to terrible and horrible lengths to make their distorted version of reality THE reality.
As I highlighted earlier today, the zealots of Christianity and Islam aren't altogether different. They are planting the same seeds of fear, dissension, and hate in their respective spheres. They utilize the same sorts of language and imagery. The chief thing that separates them is what they've named their supernatural deity: God and Allah.
The world as we know it will be destroyed if these two competing zealot religious groups are able to steal the reigns of power. They will concurrently brutalize the "other side" AND their own citizens. They will foster a world of distrust and distortion. They will create an era of disharmony and death, both biological and spiritual.
Silence is not an option. Silence will only pave the way for institutional ugliness.
As a Taoist, I cannot be silent.
It is one of the recurrent themes in eastern philosophy, in general, and philosophic Taoism, in particular. In the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, both Taoist thinkers talk about how we each engage disharmony when we jump from one extreme to the other. We become blinded to all the potentialities before us and only see those within our myopic lens.
The person who skates on the extreme edge tends to fall easily because we leave ourselves little room to maneuver. If a small obstacle presents itself, we're moving so fast in a straight line that there is no time to jog around it or to stop to plot a new course.
Extremeness breeds tension and stress. When you pull a rubber band to its tightest point, it quivers as it fights to maintain its structural integrity. If it slips from your grasp, it will shoot off violently in an indiscriminate direction. If you pull it a bit tighter, it breaks and flops around before going limp.
One of the lessons in works like the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi is to avoid living a life of extremes and instead to take the more tranquil path of moderation. The message is focused on each of us as individuals, but the lesson applies equally to people in collective form.
I realize that some readers may wonder why I have recently gone off on a tangent against the so-called Christian Right. Why don't I merely stick to writing about Taoism and leave Christianity out of my discussions altogether?
My answer is that extremism by groups tends to generate disharmony, stress and tension for the whole of that society. While zealots come in all shapes and sizes, religious zealots are the most dangerous because they believe that they are doing the bidding of a supernatural entity -- a god. When people believe in something this powerful and irrational, they will go to terrible and horrible lengths to make their distorted version of reality THE reality.
As I highlighted earlier today, the zealots of Christianity and Islam aren't altogether different. They are planting the same seeds of fear, dissension, and hate in their respective spheres. They utilize the same sorts of language and imagery. The chief thing that separates them is what they've named their supernatural deity: God and Allah.
The world as we know it will be destroyed if these two competing zealot religious groups are able to steal the reigns of power. They will concurrently brutalize the "other side" AND their own citizens. They will foster a world of distrust and distortion. They will create an era of disharmony and death, both biological and spiritual.
Silence is not an option. Silence will only pave the way for institutional ugliness.
As a Taoist, I cannot be silent.
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