One of the enduring concepts of philosophical Taoism is flow. (We are addressing aspects of this concept right now in the TTC - Line by Line series.) I think the idea of flowing appeals to our higher selves; the lyrical aspect of our internal natures. It offers a certain poetic feel to the task of living.
One of the ways in which Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu express the concept of flow in their writings is to state that we need to move with the natural contours of our lives and not to try to will our ego-based desires into action.
The metaphor they often employ is that of a stream. They point to the fact that swimming against the current is stressful and it takes so much effort just to stay buoyant. It would be so much less stressful to move with the current and to allow it to take you where it may.
Another way they express this idea is to describe how rivers deal with obstacles in their paths. If a giant tree falls into a river and impedes the flow through the channel, the river simply may move around it to cut a new channel. It also may move under or over it, gradually eating away at the obstacle until it no longer exists.
While all these ideas appeal to my philosophic self, I will candidly admit that I often have trouble trying to utilize these same concepts as a politically-aware citizen. There is a fierce class war going on in my nation and the world. How do I employ flow in the battles that lay ahead?
When I look at the world around me, it seems as if the flow of societal life is headed in the wrong direction! The rich and powerful are doing everything possible to divert the flow of humanity and the planet in a direction that benefits them and them alone. While I certainly realize that this isn't they type of flow that the ancient Taoist sages wrote of, the principles remain much the same.
I don't have an answer to share with you. It is something I continue to grapple with. At times, I think I see a glimmer of an answer, but then it gets swept away.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
One of the ways in which Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu express the concept of flow in their writings is to state that we need to move with the natural contours of our lives and not to try to will our ego-based desires into action.
The metaphor they often employ is that of a stream. They point to the fact that swimming against the current is stressful and it takes so much effort just to stay buoyant. It would be so much less stressful to move with the current and to allow it to take you where it may.
Another way they express this idea is to describe how rivers deal with obstacles in their paths. If a giant tree falls into a river and impedes the flow through the channel, the river simply may move around it to cut a new channel. It also may move under or over it, gradually eating away at the obstacle until it no longer exists.
While all these ideas appeal to my philosophic self, I will candidly admit that I often have trouble trying to utilize these same concepts as a politically-aware citizen. There is a fierce class war going on in my nation and the world. How do I employ flow in the battles that lay ahead?
When I look at the world around me, it seems as if the flow of societal life is headed in the wrong direction! The rich and powerful are doing everything possible to divert the flow of humanity and the planet in a direction that benefits them and them alone. While I certainly realize that this isn't they type of flow that the ancient Taoist sages wrote of, the principles remain much the same.
I don't have an answer to share with you. It is something I continue to grapple with. At times, I think I see a glimmer of an answer, but then it gets swept away.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
When I look at the world around me, it seems as if the flow of societal life is headed in the wrong direction!
ReplyDeleteAre you sure?
Or might there be more than one current in this ocean?
I also don't think Lao Tzu meant to disgregard morality as you embrace "flow." I think your "current" includes social justice. To disregard that part of you would actually be to fight your nature.
Anyways, it could be easily argued that this greed and corruption is what is against the flow, which is why it is taking "them" so much effort (money) to delude us. Isn;t it easier to give to the needy than to harden one's heart to them? The real struggle is the egoism.
Of course, we also get into stuff like where authority comes from (us). If we continue to tacitly support them, how can we fight them. I refer you to Thoreau's Civil Disobedience. We need mass boycotts AND tax protesting. That'd really send a message.
I seem to have rambled a bit in this space. Hope you don't mind, as a fellow rambler ;)
I think images of the Japan tsunami are appropriate here.
ReplyDeleteThe "flow" will wash everything away, shake it all up for a fresh start.
Don't know if you can get to this link on facebook, but contemplate the 6 minutes of this video:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1605260179420&comments
I believe that the writings urge us to flow with the stream of the Tao, not the flow of modern society. Most of current society flows against the ways and wisdom of the Tao, therefore to flow with that faction would indeed exhaust one's self quickly.
ReplyDelete