Taoist Philosophy - Chapter 110

[Marblehead]

To Lead The World Toward Brigandage

 

When the government is muddled and confused,
The people are genuine and sincere.
When the government is discriminate and clear,
The people are crafty and cunning.
When the government is lazy and dull,
The people are pure and unspoiled.
When the government is efficient and smart,
The people are miserable and discontented.

Then the courts are swept very clean
While the fields are full of weeds
And the granaries are all empty.
The official’s clothing
Is richly embroidered and colored;
While at their waists they carry sharp swords.
They gorge themselves on food,
And of possessions and goods they have plenty.
This is called thievery!
And thievery certainly is not the way of Tao.
Is it not the corruption of Tao?


Why There Are Criminals

A student of the Great Master said to him one day, “Let’s travel and see the world.”

“Why bother? The world is just like this place.”

The student insisted again and the Sage replied, “Where do you want to go?”

“Let’s go to the capital first.”

So the two packed their bag and began their journey. The master and his disciple went traveling the countryside. When they arrived at one village, they saw an executed criminal whose body was lying face up on the ground and was uncovered. The master took off his formal gown and placed it over the dead man’s body. He cried to Heaven and wept over him, saying, “You! You! A calamity is coming to the world and you are the first to escape it.”

And the master continued, “Perhaps he was a thief or perhaps he was a murderer. With the distinctions of honor and disgrace the fears of mankind appear, and with the accumulation of wealth, struggle for existence appears. Now the ruler first sets up what leads to fears, hoards up for himself what the people strive to obtain, and makes them labor in poverty without rest. What else can be the result?

“The ancient rulers gave credit to the people and took the blame on themselves. They always thought the people were right and they themselves wrong. If there was one person deformed, the ruler felt himself responsible. Now it is all different. He keeps the affairs of the country secret from the people and blames them for their ignorance. He sends them on dangerous missions and punishes those who dare not go. He gives them heavy responsibility and punishes those who are unequal to them, and he sends them to a distant place and kills those who do not turn up.

“When the people are exhausted and cannot cope with the situation, then they have to practice deception. When the ruler daily deceives the people, how can the people help but try to deceive the ruler? For when a man has not the strength to do what he is required to do, then he tries to deceive; when a man cannot cope with a situation, he tries to cover up; and when a man has not enough money to spend, he tries to steal. Upon whom should we place the responsibility for the conduct of the robbers and thieves?

Edited March 2, 2013 by Marblehead

[manitou]

[Marblehead]

This seems to be the way of the world right now. We're seeing first hand just how bad off people are in other countries are, only to have the rulers and dictators living in the lap of luxury with incredible wealth. It seems that the same is happening here too, it's just taking a while longer for the disparity to be quite as apparent.

 

Yep. Same story being played out over and over again. It seems to me that not many people pay much attention to history nor do they listen to those who constantly through the years show us the warning signs.

 

But, information is becoming more available and people are beginning to understand how those in control are taking advantage of the masses.

 

My admiration goes out to those who are trying to better their condition.

 

Here in the US things haven't gotten down to the bare bone yet. But if your current trend continues I will predict that it won't be long before people will start paying attention. The separation between the 'haves' and 'have nots' is constantly becoming wider.

 

Sad thing about government is that individual greediness creeps into the hearts of most politicians. When this happens they begin to serve only themselves.

 

Lao Tzu knew what was happening and it is still happening today. His recommendation for correction of this problem, sadly, wouldn't work today because there are too many people on the planet. Prpbably were during his time as well.

[Samuel]

A particularly relevant passage for these days it seems. The way that the TTC's wisdom seems ageless is something I love about it. On the other hand perhaps the reason that wisdom from so long ago is applicable today is because we're still making the same mistakes?

[Everything]

Upon whom should we place the responsibility for the conduct of the robbers and thieves?

Hey, marblehead. Another great text, enriched by a character of great mysterious wisdom! Love it.

 

I personally believe that responsibility for the conduct of the robbers and thieves are strongly influenced by our service toward human made laws. Atleast the laws came from something with an ego, many ego's. The opinion of people.

 

While instead, we should follow the laws of nature, our only true dictatorship. Some people say that follow the laws of nature would mean that people again decide what these laws are to be... Sure... Not if science determines the laws of nature and continues developing the laws of nature more accurately. Science has no ego and is impartial just like nature and the Tao. All the things that has improved the lifes of the people came from science. Without science we would not even be able to support ourselves with such a huge population.

 

So lets say that we throw away human laws and replace it with nature laws. How could we punish a man for not following the laws of nature? It cannot be done. We connot punish a man for falling towards the sky, because that event would only mature the laws of nature, developed by the egoless sciences that monitor these natural events without judgement. You might not be able to imagine it now, just like the people of the past could not even comprehend how the world looks like today, but a future without thievery is possible. If everyone submits to nature, the only true dictatorship in our lives, and accept the control it has over us, only then can we create civilizations that NATURALLY be good.

 

If every economist and politician of today would instead submit there lives towards the science of nature, and solve poverty and thievery this way, it would be much more effective. Have a problem you can't fix? You make a law for it, but keep in mind that the law will never compare to the true laws of nature, which, if understood, are much more beneficial for mankind to follow.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Everything

[Marblehead]

On the other hand perhaps the reason that wisdom from so long ago is applicable today is because we're still making the same mistakes?

 

Hehehe.

 

Hi Samuel,

 

That is a position I often take when speaking about politics. I think most politicians slept through most of their history courses, if they even had any.

[Marblehead]

Hey, marblehead. Another great text, enriched by a character of great mysterious wisdom! Love it.

 

Thanks Everything,

 

Yeah, somewhere it is written that the more laws a nation has the more criminals (thieves and robbers) there will be.

 

Interesting concept about your 'laws of nature'. I would agree that the laws of nature are mostly more fair than the laws created by man. But I think that even some of these might need some modifications because nature can be pretty cruel at times.

[Otis]

[Marblehead]

In general, when Lao Tzu talks about how to be a ruler, I like to see how it applies to being an ego. I have been acting as the ruler of this organism for too long, so now it's time to learn how to get out of the way, as the old master recommended.

 

When I decide what is best for my path, I choose from a very short menu (the "known" or the "island of acceptable delusion" ).

 

But if I let go of choosing my steps, and instead let the rest of my organism make up "its own mind", then my kingdom (body) seems to be at much more peace, without my "subjects" (the other parts of me) fighting or cheating me.

 

Very important concept you spoke to there, I think. Yes, putting the ego in the back seat (or even the trunk if need be) and allow the body to speak for itself. For the longest time now I have always believed that we need to pay more attention to what our body is telling us. (For sure we could prevent a lot of sicknesses if we did so.)

[Nanashi]

[Everything]

Thanks Everything,

 

Yeah, somewhere it is written that the more laws a nation has the more criminals (thieves and robbers) there will be.

 

Interesting concept about your 'laws of nature'. I would agree that the laws of nature are mostly more fair than the laws created by man. But I think that even some of these might need some modifications because nature can be pretty cruel at times.

When a country is broken, totally in chaos. The only laws that cannot be broken are the laws of nature.

 

So the more laws equals to more criminals you say? Sure, if the laws are ego made, the more laws there are, the more laws there will be broken. Look at how few and elegant the laws of nature are in physics. And just look at how effective they are. Not even one single of these laws in physics has been broken by a human being, not for milions of years, not since they were discovered, and probably not for many years to come. And if one seems to brake the laws of nature, it is an illusion, caused by an incorrect understanding of natural laws. With mathematics, we can most effectively communicate these natural laws, not with politics. So we follow scientific laws instead. And if we make up laws out of our own opinions, even if its the opinion of 99% of the population, it is fake and simply standing in the way of the true laws of nature which are essential in our lifes to be observed by us and understood.

 

The following example may sound odd and crazy, but I believe it with all my being:

If a murderer kills me, I do not wish for cops to find the killer, for lawyers to sue him, for family to seek justice. My last wish would be that all these men would instead commit their lives towards finding the natural laws that have made it possible for this event to occur in the first place. We then accept these laws, for they cannot be changed and are the true rules and rulers of our lifes. We then follow these rules in such a way that murder no longer happens. Not impulsively, but patiently, committed, disciplined and trough the science of nature. I wish for my death to be accepted for what it is, a natural event and not a political or whatever event. Everything is nature. So we must first accept the natures "cruelty" (which I do not even believe is so... Nature is impartial) and then kneeling humbly to nature, accept it as our master, and work for it, with it, create a better future. Science of nature does not give a damn about the petty details of my life, that is why I give my love to the science of nature so that it is impartially channeled to all of civilization.

[Marblehead]

When a country is broken, totally in chaos. The only laws that cannot be broken are the laws of nature.

 

Damn!, Everything!!!

 

How can I argue against your post? It would present myself as a hypocrite.

 

The only thing I can say is that if there are processes of nature that we do not particularly want to be effected on us we can avoid the conditions that would have the laws acting on us.

 

An example:

 

It is a given that a hungry tiger would eat us. Therefore we aviod hungry tigers. But how do we know whether or not a tiger is hungry and would eat us? We can't possibly know this, can we? So we simply avoid all tigers in the wild. We have avoided the natural law being applied on us.