2
as the river shoves
into a now muddy sea
it cries, “I still exist!”
Lesson # 2
No opposites endure.
Beauty pokes its face
out of ugliness.
Goodness wraps evil
around itself.
The coin flips,
the front becomes the back
and then
becomes the front again.
Therefore act,
but do not teach.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number Two: Contrasts
In order to truly appreciate what is beauty
we must also open ourselves to ugliness
In order to distinguish what is good
we must also look directly at what is evil
Therefore we know what something is partly by what it is not
We know what is easy partly by comparing to what is difficult
We know what is long partly by measuring it against what is short
We know what is high by beginning with what is low
The front cannot exist without the back
Therefore the wise teacher teaches best through actions not words
They perceive the impermanence of the ten thousand things rising and falling away
They create but do not own
They achieve much but claim no credit
They act
and then move on
This makes their teachings eternal
NUMBER TWO
All men know the existence of beauty,
Beauty, cleft asunder, is ugliness.
All men know the existence of Love.
Love, cleft asunder, is hatred.
Therefore “possessions” and “Inner Life” interdepend in life.
Difficult and easy interdepend in completeness.
Long and short interdepend in form.
High and low interdepend in alternation.
Tone and voice interdepend in harmony.
Before and after interdepend in sequence.
That is why the self-controlled man
makes it his business to dwell in the Inner Life;
he teaches not by words, but by actions;
he brings all beings into action, he does not refuse them;
he gives them life, but does not possess them;
he acts, but does not look for reward;
he works out perfectness, but claims no credit.
The Master, indeed, rests not on rewards.
That is why he passes not away.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number Two (commentary) What is beyond Black and White?
For Lao Tsu, it is all a matter of getting beyond your perspective. Where some see beauty, others see ugliness. What some call good, others call evil.
The work of maturing our deeper selves consists of embracing these opposites, instead of just choosing one of them and thereby defining ourselves by that choice.
Adopt neither, “I am a God-loving Conservative!”, nor “I am a Progressive Liberal!”
Assert neither “Climate change is bullshit”, nor “Anyone who doesn’t believe in climate change is stupid.”
We have to let go of our cherished perspectives and see the richness of everything; the beauty in what we once perceived as ugly, the good and evil within ourselves and within others.
For Lao Tsu, there is no Right and Wrong, only right, left, up, down, everywhere and everything.
What would it look like to live by embracing the opposites?
We might stop trying to convince, defend, proselytize and rationalize.
We might let go of clinging to what we think is right and parading what we believe.
We might let go of looking for acknowledgement for our good deeds.
We might just do what is needed and move on, knowing that this is enough.
Tangent and Tool #2, Non-reactive listening: (Reflective exercise) Sit down with someone who has dramatically differing ideas about government, the environment and/or climate change from your own, familiar, “right” world view. Ask them open-ended questions about their belief, only seeking to see the world through their eyes. Do not argue, defend, or present your opinions. Just maintain a deep desire to know another way of looking at the world. Thank them and leave, with no rebuttal. Restraining yourself will be hard and painful work, but it is an essential first step for being in dialogue with those who disagree with you.