We often find ourselves searching for the next environment that may lead to the next step as though you are both on a ladder and the ladder itself. Long ago I adopted the idea of asking myself, “what are the next three steps” that I need to take that will lead to my goal. Of course, I seldom get to step number three and truth be told it’s the abhorrence, or dislike for structure that takes me there… not necessarily what’s on the list. In reality, it was never just three steps, but writing things down gives us the means or reason to move forward. When we encounter resistance, it often means we are standing at the threshold of transformation and change.
Over the centuries, Taoists have regarded logical reasoning and thought as part of the artificial world of man, especially when combined with social etiquette and moral standards. They seemed less interested in this constructed world, focusing instead on observing nature to gain a deeper understanding of the Tao. Careful observation of nature, combined with what might be described as “mystical intuition,” has always affirmed the teachings of the Taoist sage, whose profound insights seem to reflect modern scientific theories and understanding.
Chuang Tzu emphasized that transformation and change are fundamental aspects of nature. In Chapter 4 of the Chuang Tzu, it is described that “every leaf, bud, and branch has its proper form”, illustrating the natural process of growth, decay, and the continuous cycle of change. Sometimes we need to step away from ourselves to fully understand what can be called the interplay between opposites, from what in the East are known as both yin and yang to where there is a constant relationship… that the two are forever linked to each other. That there is an implicit unity between the two and that they remain inherently linked to each other.
The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes that going “beyond earthly opposites” is essential for attaining enlightenment. Similarly, in China, Taoist thought is rooted in the idea of the polar relationship of opposites. Unlike the Western notion that “opposites attract”, it is about “complementary opposites coming together”, like the center of a circle adapting to endless changes.
My travels with Lieh Tzu / Interpolations along the Way
70. Chapter Five – The Questions of T’ang
71. Introduction… Simply to remain indifferent
Remaining indifferent to time and space. If the universe is infinite, then where can 
heaven and earth begin and end. Can human intelligence and perception begin to know all there is to become? What can remain outside the realm of human reasoning?
What is truth but a prolonged assault on the limitations of everyday knowledge? Questioning myths, legends, and customs ingrained over time. Questioning authority ‑ even Confucius. What can one make of something called common sense? All the 
while Confucius attempts to end for all time, the time-honored mythology enjoyed and known to all.
In the end, the Tao delights in the extraordinary as it challenges the lack of imagination and the adherence to order, and structure demanded by the Confucians.
As in the Tao, we attempt to recover an inner vision or a reversion to what may appear childlike or a simple return to innocence.
What could be known as an end to any discussion when the universe is immeasurable? When the cosmos serves as a place for the extraordinary, how can anything be seen but possible and likely to occur? What can this relativity of judgment be when everything is bigger than some things and smaller than others? What are reasonable differences if they are held good by some standards and bad by others? Is this not precisely the point?
Chuang Tzu continually reminds us that it is useless to conceive alternatives because neither can be right or wrong. What can be big or small? In the eyes of who 
and what can be made of common sense? In the end, the Tao delights in the extraordinary as it challenges the lack of imagination and the adherence to order, and structure demanded by the Confucians.
If everything has no beginning and no ending and simply changes in form according to space and time, then remaining indifferent is the only true path to understanding. If it is useless as Chuang says to seek alternatives because neither can be right or wrong, where can differences lie? 4/13/95
Number seventy 0ne of one hundred fifty-eight entries.
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