George Carlin, Taoist Sage 1

When we look at almost every religion or philosophic tradition, we always seem to look to the ancients. It is the centuries old prophets, messiahs, teachers and sages who command our attention. Just as Christians look to a Jewish carpenter who died nearly 2,000 years ago, we Taoists look to quasi-historical figures who have long been dead for thousands of years!

The more I ponder the life and thought of George Carlin, I've come to believe that he may well have been a latter day Zhuangzi. In this post and another later today, I'm going to share some more of his thoughts from Last Words. See what you think. Could we call George Carlin a Taoist sage?

I no longer identify with my species. I haven't for a long time. I identify more with carbon atoms. I don't feel comfortable or safe on this planet. From the standpoint of my work and peace of mind, the safest thing, the thing that gives me the most comfort, is to identify with atoms and the stars and simply contemplate the folly of my fellow species members. I can divorce myself from the pain of it all.

Once, if I identified with individuals I felt pain; if I identified with groups I saw people who repelled me. So now I identify with no one. I have no passion anymore for any of them, victims or perpetrators, Right or Left, women or men. I'm still human. I haven't abandoned my humanity, but I have put it in a place that allows my art to function free of entanglements.

My job is to watch the ludicrous dance down here for the humor and entertainment it provides and drop in every now and then to show my former species how fucked up they are.