Huainanzi - Entry 32

Trey Smith

The laws of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors of high antiquity were different in what they prescribed but equal in that they won the hearts of the people.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

In our society, we're always being told there is a right way or one way to do this or that. Conformity is prized; nonconformity is denigrated. One way this is expressed is when one person says to another -- Get with the program!

Religions (ideologies as well) are notorious for this kind of attitude. One specific protocol is presented and you better damn well get with the program or else you will be labeled a backslider, heretic or "the enemy."

But just as there is more than one route to get to the summit of a mountain or to ford a stream, there are many paths by which to attain enlightenment or wisdom. It is not the path we choose that is of the greatest importance; it is more the manner in which we travel on it.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.