Those who are called
“recluse scholars” by the ancients
did not conceal themselves
to shun the world.
They did not decline
to speak their words
or conceal their knowledge.

It was the times that were out of joint…

Highest happiness
is the fulfillment of aspiration.
Fulfillment of aspiration for the ancients
did not mean carriages and coronets,
but that nothing more was needed for happiness.
At present the fulfillment of aspiration
means carriages and coronets.
But carriages and coronets
are possessed by the body;
they do not concern our true nature.

When things come to us from the outside,
it is only for a while.
When they come we cannot hinder them;
When they leave we cannot detain them.

It is said,
“Those who lose themselves
In their pursuit of things and stray
from their innate nature
are people who reverse
the order of things.

Zhuangzi, trans. by Hyun Höchsmann and Yang Guorong, Book 16

Yet another look-back, a retrospective to a simpler, less violent time. Surely any historical era stands alone, depending on the location, the zeitgeist, – whether the atmosphere on balance is one of comity or of suspicion and hostility.

What reasonable person would choose to live in the American South during reconstruction? Perhaps my great grandparents in North Carolina had no choice. I wonder if they witnessed squads of Federal soldiers on the streets? Were neighbors or friends KKK supporters? Did they know any emancipated ex-slaves who surely were destitute?

There are times of hunger, times of political upheaval, institutional failure, the out-of-joint times. Context matters. A social matrix supporting self-reflection, a social situation that recognizes diversity of culture as a source of creativity is important for scholarly exploration, for artistic progress. Finding oneself in an out-of-joint time: best to hold your peace, “keep your powder dry.” This I think is the sense of the initial statement of this quotation. And 2026 is shaping up as out-of-joint for many.

Well then, you might ask, what is “happiness” according to “the way” of the Zhuangzi? Obsession with “having” is wide of the mark which each of us can discover, that is – our true nature. And there’s not a single, universal “true nature” but as many and and as varied “true natures” as there are individual persons living. You are a “one off” human, a unique expression of your species. Do not be distracted by possessions, or by desire for anything which you’d like to own. “Ownership” is never permanent. Durable title to anything ultimately is not in our control. 

Do not believe the proposal that owning is what satisfies. Nothing external would be enough to satisfy! To reverse the order of things – is contrary to the tao…

Is such thinking a hallmark of an out-of-joint time? What do you think?

Music will always lift the spirit. This by The Grass Roots is timeless: Live For Today.