Natural Rhythm
37
The Tao never does anything,
yet through it all things are done.
If powerful men and women
could center themselves in it,
the whole world would be transformed
by itself, in its natural rhythms.
People would be content
with their simple, everyday lives,
in harmony, and free of desire.
When there is no desire,
all things are at peace.
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, trans. by Stephen Mitchell
WTF, another Monday. Cooler weather portent of fall. Shall we say yes to fall? Yes!
This chapter proposes a way forward which is simple, and very very difficult to do. A condition of mindful, receptive silence is emphasized. Can I learn to be present, attentive without stating an opinion? To “not do anything” as a rule-of-thumb – is to imitate the Tao. Can I dial back my impulse to control?
Language enabled mammals are endowed with power. We design, construct the tools with which we build bridges, cities, supply chains, airplanes, etc., etc.. There is no doubt as to what we are capable. The Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress silhouettes against a clear blue sky, Hiroshima becomes super-heated ash…
Imagine a world transformed by endemic natural rhythms…
Suddenly as I write it seems as if an excess of desire is a type of illness, a dysfunction interrupting the natural rhythm, a surd, a chimera of reality, changing us into spiritless walking-dead…
Taking my place, to fulfill my role, my chance to spontaneously respond…
Confusion is nothing new…
Your thoughts?
3 thoughts on “Natural Rhythm”
In your section you note “an excess of desire” whereas the verse you offered today suggests, “People would be content with their simple, everyday lives, in harmony, and free of desire.” It seems that we have two definitions of the word “desire”.
I suspect that if one is dissatisfied with their life because they have not reaped enough of a reward based on their personal desires, then yes, I can see that attitude as having a negative impact on the world at large. Mostly because that kind of desire can never be fulfilled. The people who “need” beyond what is called for to survive and to at least live in modest comfort, will always crave the constant input of more and more, be it objects, money, or power.
Then there is a desire for tranquility, for harmony, for a sense of connection to nature, for love, and for the world to be able to heal from the wounds we have inflicted upon it. This too can lead to frustration and discomfort, but it is ultimately a desire for the betterment of all creatures, especially in juxtaposition with those whose desires are truly insatiable and rooted in self-aggrandizement instead of kindness and inclusion.
And lastly, I find the portion of today’s verse I mentioned above to be disturbing within the context of Mr. Mitchell’s translation. We are all hypocritical creatures though some more than others. Did not Mr. Mitchell have a desire to translate the Tao? Did he not desire to have his specific version of the Tao published? He has translated or written several dozen books, so my main question is: Does Mr. Mitchell live a simple, everyday life, in harmony and free of desire? The answers to my rhetorical questions would be: Probably not. Yes, I’m making a grand assumption while maintaining a cynical and pejorative perspective.
So many of us, myself included, believe we have a personal insight into the workings of nature of the human mind. I don’t know how we avoid the associated pitfall of ego and still attempt to communicate with others in a harmonious manner. A manner where we always know we could be proven incorrect in our assumptions and come to a place where we truly know how to listen rather than pontificate. I’m certainly not there and I somehow think that Mr. Mitchell is not there either.
When composing my comments I was aware of the two different senses of the term ‘desire’ which were being used. As I thought more about that juxtaposition of meanings, desire as an inevitable need for food, shelter, love, purpose, inescapable for homo sapiens, and that of overweening insatiable hunger for power, recognition, dominance over others, etc., etc., I concluded this is the very paradox that each of us has to live with. I too am somewhat hypocritical even on my good days of a disposition to settle into my proper role… Even if we humans are inordinately needy, I think it is better, a lot better to live in awareness, occasionally confessing to others that we feel like a lost child – than to live a violent life of abject denial.
Amen!