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Posted by Steve on 4/15/2011, 9:30 am, in reply to "Re: Figurative-ing out Steve"
69.143.82.x
: Laozi 46: "When the world lacks the
: Dao, war horses are reared in the
: suburbs."
:
: Steve: "Act according to your
: nature--which is to favor peace over
: contention--and you'll be okay. Then you'll
: be able to ditch your B-52 bombers."
:
: "Act according to your nature"
: seems to me to be along the same lines as
: "act in harmony with the Dao."
: This interpretations implies that it is
: possible to act contrary to your nature. Is
: this possible?
-----------------------
Thought-provoking question, Bao Pu. I wrestle with it too.
I think there's a certain surrender that comes -- a "grace" that cannot be brought about by an act of will -- and with that surrender comes a natural inclination to do what's most useful. What's most useful for humans as a whole, I'd say, is to live in peace and harmony along the lines of the picture painted in Chapter 80 of the Laozi.
When I throw bombs your way, I'm not acting "contrary to dao," I'm merely acting in a way that is ultimately less useful to me. It's much more useful for me to have you as a friend and ally than as an enemy. (If you've ever lived near neighbors you've refused to talk to, you've experienced this first-hand.)
So, for me, within the dao there is useful and less useful (as opposed to "in sync"/"in harmony" and "not in sync"/"not in harmony"), and when, for example, I target you as the enemy, I'm behaving in a less useful manner.
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"The Tao is basically utterly open. Utter openeness has no substance. It ends in endlessness, begins in beginninglessnes".
-Li Daoqun
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