Pop Culture Tao - Life Doesn't Ask

Trey Smith

Of all the various series I write, I think this one has the fewest entries. I last wrote an installment 6 1/2 months ago! It's not hard to understand why. We live in a society that is predominated by Judeo-Christian and capitalist imagery. It is not common to see or hear anything that alludes to Taoism in the media.

Below is an ad from the shoemaker, Reebok. It is not the same ad that caught my eye on the TV screen, but it's close.

"Life doesn't care what you look like or where you come from. It's not here to judge you." Doesn't that sound like something you might read in the Tao Te Ching or Zhuangzi? Try reading the quoted lines again and replacing the word, life with the word, Tao. It has a familiar ring.

That said, I think Zhuangzi -- but not Laozi -- might disagree with the final statement, "Life only asks that you join it." For Zhuangzi, life/Tao poses no questions. Living (or being) is not a choice. Whatever you are or are not and whatever you hope to be is part of life/Tao. Even if you end your "life" in this realm, that is part of the totality of life/Tao too.

So me thinks that Zhuangzi, if he was the copy editor for this ad, probably would have jettisoned the last line altogether. What do you think?

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - All I Need Is a Miracle

Trey Smith

The song All I Need Is a Miracle by Mike & the Mechanics is a rather insipid song in which a fellow laments the fact that he treated his girlfriend like dog meat and, not surprisingly, she left. Now that she's gone, he wants her back! (If she has any sense at all, she should stay away from this egotistical bloke.)

In a departure from earlier posts in this infrequent series, what I want to focus on is the story told in the music video, not the main plot of the song itself.

As we can see, each time the manager thinks all is lost, something positive comes of it. At several points, when it seems that things are looking up, it leads to something not so good. This is a point that Zhuangzi makes on several occasions. What we consider good or bad may turn out in the end to be the precise opposite. Life is filled with dips and turns; it's often difficult to figure out where we will turn up.

The lesson here is not to be so quick to judge our circumstances as being one thing or the other.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Cool Change

If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water
Lots of those friendly people
And they're showing me ways to go
And I never want to lose their inspiration
Time for a cool change
I know that it's time for a cool change
And now that my life is so prearranged
I know that it's time for a cool change

Well, I was born in the sign of water
And it's there that I feel my best
The albatross and the whales they are my brothers
It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon, like a lover.
~ from Cool Change by the Little River Band ~

I can't believe that it's been over one year since I added a post to this ongoing series! I was listening to some tunes on the radio the other day and, when I heard Cool Change for the first time in a long time, I knew I had to write this post.

We humans are social creatures; we need other people in order to live fulfilling lives. It has been shown repeatedly that one of the best methods to drive someone insane is to be place them in solitary confinement. Without the connection with other beings, the mind slowly unwinds and NOT in a good way.

But while we need human interaction, we concurrently are solitary creatures too. We each must find our own path in life. As the lyric above states, other people can inspire us, but the decision of which way to go falls squarely on ourselves.

When I hear this song, it makes me think of Taoist principles and meditation. Utilizing the imagery of water, it stresses the interconnection of all things. And it says to me that, regardless of all the hubbub in our lives, we need quiet time alone to make sense of it.

This song also makes me think of Scott (Bradley), my friend who spends a lot of time "out on the sea alone, staring at the full moon like a lover."

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Dust in the Wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

Now don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and Sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
~ from "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas ~

This song utilizes two Tao-like metaphors: dust and water.

For me, the line "All we are is dust in the wind" highlights that all things originate and return to the most basic element - dust. No matter how mighty or lowly an object or person is in their prime, our forms or bodies all end up as grains of dust.

I realize that, for some people, this may sound like melancholy. Many people want to believe that what they do, say and build in this lifetime will stand the test of time. But I find great solace in the notion that, when my days on earth are through, the particles of what I once called me will merge with the particles of past civilizations and nature. As dust, we become one.

The other metaphor -- Just a drop of water in an endless sea -- represents flow. My life, while special to me, merely is a drop in the ocean of Tao. Again, I find great solace in the idea that my humble existence is part of the great flow of a mysterious river that wends its way to an endless sea.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Ol' Man River

Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be
What does he care if de world's got troubles
What does he care if de land ain't free

Ol' man river, dat ol' man river
Dat ol' man river
He mus' know sumpin', but don't say nuthin'
He jes' keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along
~ by Jerome Kern - Oscar Hammerstein II ~

Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu often wrote about how nature, unlike humankind, simply goes about its business according to its internal nature. The metaphor of water often is employed to illustrate their point.

This song -- from the 1927 Broadway Musical "Show Boat" -- underlines the same theme. While men toil and sweat to earn a day's pay, the big ol' river keeps rolling along. It does so regardless of the weather or what's happening around the world. Its internal nature is to flow to the sea and that's what it does day in and day out.

It's an apt lesson for each of us.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Disturbance in The Force

Something has been eating at me for the past few days. I can't seem to put my finger on it, but I've been pensively reflective. It's as though I feel a "great disturbance in The Force!"

This got me to thinking about the similarities between Tao and "The Force". I read an article a few years ago which stated that Star Wars creator George Lucas used a lot of Taoist philosophy when creating his ideation of a Jedi's power source. In this vein, I've decided to share a few quotes from the various Star Wars movies with the word Tao in place of The Force. They don't sound that much different, do they?

"Tao is an energy field created by all living things, it surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together" - Obi-Wan to Luke

"Remember, a Jedi can feel Tao flowing through him" - Obi-Wan to Luke

"Strong am I with Tao, but not that strong. Twilight is upon me and soon, night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of Tao." - Yoda to Luke

"Your father was seduced by the dark side of Tao. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed." - Ben to Luke

"Tao will be with you, always" - Obi-Wan to Luke

Pop Culture Tao - Imagine

When this song first came out so long ago, a lot of people thought it represented a large degree of naivety. The very thought of a world in which people embraced love and peace was...well...kinda childish. Yet, if we look to many of the philosophers and sages throughout history, what is one of their prime reflections? It is that we need to return to our state of infanthood, to that point in our lives when we have yet to see ourselves as distinct from the world.

Though I'm fairly certain John Lennon was not trying to invoke Taoist themes when he penned this song, one can still see the fingerprints of it, nonetheless. The idea of removing religion, nationalism, greed and hunger goes straight to the heart of Taoist philosophy. Of course, Taoists alone have not trademarked such notions; the same ideas can be found in the mystical aspects of most belief systems.

If some believe that his song indeed is naive and simple, then it suggests to me that our world would be far better off it we each were more naive and simple. This very same point can be found throughout the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu!

Imagine
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
~ John Lennon ~

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - River of Dreams

I'm always on the lookout for songs that capture the essence of water, one of the prime metaphors of Taoist thought. The River of Dreams by Billy Joel is, for me, one of those songs.

Like a lazy river or a bubbling brook, the lyrics meander easily within the mind. He talks of the fear, doubt and search for meaning that we all share. While I like the whole song -- for full disclosure, I'm a big Billy Joel fan -- the last two verses really stand out for me. The first of these offers the apt suggestion that peering into the void is not done with our minds but our hearts.

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To a river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind.

The last stanza is where the image of water comes glistening through.

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams.

I don't know about you, but if I close my eyes, the above words send me floating down the stream of life to the ocean of Tao, buoyed along by the unspoken river of dreams.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Tomorrow Never Knows

Turn off your mind relax and float down-stream,
It is not dying, it is not dying,
Lay down all thought surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.

That you may see the meaning of within,
It is being, it is being...
~ John Lennon ~

I've read that Lennon didn't consider himself anything -- not left nor right, progressive nor conservative, forward nor backward. But so many of the concepts he explored in his music are congruent with philosophical Taoism.

This song, from the Revolver album, doesn't sound all that different from the poetry of Lao Tzu or the prose of Chuang Tzu. To me, he is trying to express that which cannot be adequately expressed and, of course, he knew it.

Close your eyes. Listen to this avant-garde song. Touch your being within.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Overture of 1812

If you have watched the Boston Pops on the 4th of July, you have no doubt heard Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. For many years, it was the climax to the fireworks display over the Charles River.

While more modern music might seem more appropriate regarding a discussion of Pop Culture, there are many classical pieces that are known and loved by people around the world today. I had considered featuring Rossini's William Tell Overture, but I've shared that one before. So, I chose this one which is in my all-time favorite top five.

For me, dramatic overtures of this kind well exemplify the concepts of yin and yang. At times, the music is frenetic, while at other times it is serene and tranquil. If you watch the musicians in the orchestra, there are times that almost every one of them are playing their instruments. At other times, most of them sit quietly awaiting their turn.

Yin and yang is about ebb and flow, movement and stillness. It is the one constant of the world. Within its dynamic of continuous change, the symmetry of flow pervades.

The other facet that I believe an orchestra well illustrates is the importance -- though not ascendancy -- of each section. It is the blending of all these different instruments and musicians that provides us with such a majestic piece. Remove even one of these threads from the tapestry -- say the French horns, the oboes or the drums -- and the unity is compromised.

Yes, the Overture of 1812 CAN be played by less than a full orchestra, but it loses its grandeur in the process. When performed by an elite orchestra such as this one -- replete with pyrotechnics to boot -- I am moved to tears every single time. I don't know what it is, but my emotions come bubbling out when the dramatic climax is reached. Even sitting here alone in my office watching these videos on YouTube, I find myself clapping and giving a one-man standing ovation.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - So Many Paths

If you should stumble and fall down,
people don't know what to do.
Pretend that they didn't notice,
they'll sidestep and walk around you.
Don't let it be your worry.
No, no don't let it get you concerned.
You've got to move on in your own direction,
forget what you ever learned.

There are so many paths up the mountain.
Nobody knows all the ways.
There are so many paths up the mountain,
and the view from the top is still the same.

~ from So Many Paths by Glenn Shorrock & I. Jones, performed by the Little River Band ~

In a world beset by the push toward conformity, this song (written by LRB's lead singer) sounds more like it could have been written by the ancient Taoist sages! Compare it to some of the words of Lao Tzu.

Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!
(Verse 20)

In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
(Verse 48)

There are billions of people in the world, past and present. It stands to reason that there are billions of paths up the mountain. When people try to force us to accept external paths, we end up accepting THEIR manifestations for our own.

If the process of life had devised a methodology of one singular path, then why do we have the ten thousand things? Wouldn't it have made more sense simply to develop one manifestation and designate one path for it to follow?

Follow your heart. It will show you YOUR right path.

To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.

Pop Culture Tao - Hold On Loosely

You see it all around you
Good lovin' gone bad
And usually it's too late when you, realize what you had
And my mind goes back to a girl I left some years ago,
Who told me,
Just Hold On Loosely, but don't let go
If you cling to tightly,
you're gonna lose control
~ from Hold On Loosely by 38 Special ~

While books like the Tao Te Ching and Zhuangzi certainly will introduce you to the concepts of philosophical Taoism, it would be a tragic mistake to think that said concepts appear SOLELY in works from antiquity. In today's modern pop culture, many of these same concepts appear again and again in different forms.

To this end, I'm launching another of my many ongoing series: Pop Culture Tao. Posts predominantly will focus on the entertainment industry and how many of the themes one can read in the works of ancient sages are utilized in today's songs and movies. In many instances, we'll compare more recent words with that of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.

In the song, Hold On Loosely, the lines, "Just Hold On Loosely, but don't let go. If you cling to tightly, you're gonna lose control" express the same kind of sentiments we find frequently throughout the Tao Te Ching. For example, the underlying meaning in Verse 9 is not all that dissimilar.

Better to stop short than fill to the brim.
Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.
Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.
Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the way of heaven.

The key message contained in both the song and the ancient verse is one of moderation. When we try to exert supreme control of situations or other people, things usually go straight downhill from there! When we try to gain more, we tend to wind up with far less than we bargained for!