Trey Smith
The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude.It has been mentioned before by some readers that my Taoism has been unduly impacted by my socialist beliefs. It is because of my penchant for the socialist ideology, they say, that I see a lot of socialist themes running throughout Taoist thought.
~ from the essay, Why I Write, by George Orwell ~
My response to that is...well DUH!
We each have perspectives that color the world as we see it. We realistically can't divorce ourselves from them. To be sure, we might be able to escape them briefly in a meditative state, but it's impossible to know what is percolating in our subconscious when we sink into a state of bliss.
Life is small p political. Whether we're discussing which movie we want to watch or what trail to hike, we engage in lobbying others and, sometimes, ourselves. If we think we can get what we want through promised inducements, few of us are above a little bribery to push things our way. When we have power, we utilize it; when we don't, we protest.
The Taoist sages had a political point of view each was advancing. This is not to suggest that it was one singular political perspective; in reading the various ancient tracts, you can find more than one.
What we each get out of these writings will be impacted by our own political beliefs. It's much the same thing with the Christian Bible. That's why a fundamentalist, a mainstream Christian and a universalist can read the same passage and come away from it with completely different understandings.
What was the political stance of the taoists though? Perhaps opposition to there even being a political system? Still political in nature to oppose it i suppose, standing against something only gives it vapidity.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with your political views as they seem to be for all not the few and you're not after power yourself but questioning those with it. A valid part of the mix.
We all have a tendency toward confirmation bias. The trick is to be aware of it.
ReplyDeleteI have come to accept (or ignore) your sociopolitical bias and focus, but I am puzzled by this statement:
ReplyDelete"we might be able to escape [our perspectives] briefly in a meditative state, but it's impossible to know what is percolating in our subconscious when we sink into a state of bliss."
I think through meditation we are indeed confronting or overcoming some of those subconscious elements.
Oh, Happy Solstice everyone!
Just for the record, a Taoist master I met in May in China, the one who told me that to be a Taoist required 1) a deep understanding, 2) knowing the history of your lineage, and 3) growing your hair long for three years to be natural (then putting it up in a taiji topknot). He also said, pertinent to this post, Taoism has no connection to politics.
ReplyDeleteOf course, in China today, it is wise for any quasi-religious group to disavow any involvement with politics. (As the Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong or Muslim activists do not.)
Ta-wan, I guess probably along the lines of (to paraphrase), "governing a country is like cooking a small fish: it is spoiled by too much poking." ~Tao Te Ching. That's one example anyways; I suppose in today's lingo that means conservativism/libertarianism, somewhat anyways.
ReplyDeleteBut Trey's right, we all come at these things from a point of view, which we will find reflected in the scriptures/texts/philosophies.