In my writing, I’ve always looked to the horizon, questioning what comes next. What is my purpose beyond just conforming to societal norms or the status quo, a space where I have never truly been at ease? The task at hand goes beyond what is considered normal or accepted. Is it possible to convey the true essence of the Tao and its link to what holds universal significance in the cosmos?
It’s more about embracing the human experience and appreciating what Taoism teaches, along with the pure essence of nature, than chasing perfection in an imperfect world while never settling for the status quo.
The eternal question that everything in nature seems to face is, “Where does truth lie?” It’s as if both living and dying revolve around defining terms. Understanding the yin and yang of the I Ching becomes essential to grasp how contradictions can hinder real progress. After living and writing the last thirty years, it feels like I exist in a state of paradox. Every situation returning to the idea of paradox, something that seems self-contradictory but, in reality, reveals a possible truth that must be tested repeatedly for eternity’s sake.
Living becomes an anomaly, or exception to what we find, see, and experience—ah, the paradox. Taoism, true to its form, teaches us to sense the relationships between the laws of nature and the universe’s ultimate power. It encourages us to embrace our talents with the understanding that inner harmony and balance are meant to reflect the universe’s natural order. We learn to recognize that change cannot be forced but only revealed and experienced—a concept that can be hard for us in the West to fully appreciate and grasp.
On a philosophical or spiritual level, we learn to let the spirit guide us in helping humanity heal and reconnect with the Way, or Tao. This encourages us to flow with nature, adapting and surviving by following its path. Living solely for self-interest becomes an illusion, out of alignment with our higher selves. By embracing structure, we find purpose, belonging, and meaning in our lives.
My travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
Chapter 3 – King Mu of Zhou
41. The sway of nature
In what place can truth lie? With habits found in nature, what can we grow unaccustomed to?
In one place yin and yang do not meet so there is no distinction between hot and cold. The light of the sun and moon cannot find a place to shine so that the people know no difference between night and day. People do not eat or wear clothes. They find themselves asleep always thinking what they do in dreams is real and what they see while awake unreal.
In another place, yin and yang find constant balance. So that hot and cold and day and night find their place. Some people are wise and some foolish.
People possess great skill and talent; rulers rule successfully with manners and laws supporting them. What they do and say needs no explanation. They think what they do waking up is real and what they see in dreams is unreal.
In a third place, the climate is always hot as there is an excess of light from the sun and the moon. The soil will grow no crops. The people eat herbs and roots. By nature, they have become hard and fierce.
The strong oppress the weak. The only honor found is victory, with no respect for right or wrong. They travel fast and never rest. They are always awake and never sleep.
Of the three, which can be right or wrong? Have not all simply grown accustomed to what natural forces have provided? Is it not following one’s true course finding the destiny provided by nature?
If, as the ancients say that living is simply an illusion, then is not adapting to the nature that surrounds us the same as discovering the true nature within ourselves? Who can know? In what place can truth lie, if not within us? 2/9/95
Number forty-one of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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