Thinner And Thinner
38
The Master doesn’t try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does some thing,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu, trans. by Stephen Mitchell
Sinologists say this passage in particular is a polemic, taking the traditional Confucian ritual practice to task. Confucius established social norms grounded in the family, elaborated in prescriptions for a manner of speaking and behavior according to the rank of the person(s) being addressed. Social order, solidarity proceeded from doing one’s duty.
Slowly reading, absorbing this description of a descent of social cohesion, of an order, which beneath the surface is fracturing into chaos, an insistent voice whispers over and over: What about my country, these United States?
It seems to me two parallel ordering systems of ideas have shaped America into the type of society that now exists. There was the ideal of profit, the continent represented opportunity, uninhabited, endless, and available for the taking. Then there’s the idea/ideal of evangelical-divine destiny, those who managed to survive rigors of Atlantic passage were appointed to fulfill a mission to “civilize” the continent, and later, by extension the entirety of humanity – Manifest Destiny.
Genius is not needed to recognize the irrationality of both of these premises.
Capitalism is now in its late-stage, similar to a late-stage cancer. Economic activity shifts and the ideal of a fair exchange of value is far behind in the rear view mirror. At best an exchange of value is contract like, specified often with a document conceived to protect the seller from any liability, caused by use of product/service. Then I recognize a casino-like quality to the economy. Purchases which in past times were ordinary, resemble more and more, a throw of the dice… There are winners and there are losers. Want to buy a house or a car? Its complex, and how much risk can you tolerate? Are you able to avoid the losing side of the transaction? Keep your eye on the seller who deals the cards.
In addition the ascendancy and the decline of Christianity, the ethos built upon a collection of myths, now has become a politicized, coalescing right-wing, nativist, patriarchal movement. The morality espoused by the mega-church pastor/influencers is razor edged, imposed by state law. Women in particular are left without legal protection, stripped of agency regarding their own reproductive health care.
Also to be noted is the silence of the churches on the fate of immigrants. They have harvested our produce, provided the menial (low pay) labor for back-of-the-house of all kinds of businesses. The silence of the churches deafens me as these unfortunates are branded criminals, scooped up for deportation by ICE.
From time to time moving about the country I’ve taken note of the derelict churches, especially in visibly abandoned rural towns depopulated by the receding tide of offshoring. Passing through small Ag towns in the mid-west I notice the Methodist churches in particular, – if not already abandoned have aging, socially irrelevant congregations. How are these not the tombs of God?
What is left? Too often what is left is a rolling up the sleeves, the threat of force…
I have had more than enough to say. Is this reality? Is this illusion?
Should this make some sense to you, what are your thoughts?
2 thoughts on “Thinner And Thinner”
If only your portrayal of our current societal situation was illusion. But unfortunately it is all too real. How many times have we either thought to ourselves or heard from others that it all seems like a nightmare that we could wake up from any time.
But the picture you have painted is indeed bleak and it is also fairly tame with regard to all of the draconian laws that are being jammed down the throats of the American population. Unfortunately more and more citizens are turning a blind eye to the criminal activities of the politicians in charge because they are overwhelmed and cannot deal with the tsunami of insanity rushing over us. Of course this is exactly what Project 2025 was hoping for: Inure the left with a sense of catastrophic malaise where they cannot escape and they will fold up like a tent in a hurricane. And that’s what’s happening. It is beyond sad.
And I thought the Soprano crime family was vicious… They were actually episodically violent, at times were capable of humor, a degree empathy for their own. But reality is exponentially darker.