Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Lao-tzu and Current Government Essay - 806 Words
Tao-te Ching (in English pronounced ââ¬Å"dow deh jingâ⬠) is believed to be written by Lao-tzu (6th century B.C). However, it is not for certain that he wrote the book. Lao-tzu is translated as ââ¬Å"Old Masterâ⬠. He was born in the state of Chââ¬â¢u in China. Itââ¬â¢s been said that he worked in the court of the Chou dynasty. The day that he was leaving the court to start his own life, the keeper of the gate urged him to write his thoughts as a book. Lao-tzuââ¬â¢s work mostly illustrates Taoism ââ¬âa religion founded by Chang Tao-ling A.D. 150. His main purpose in this piece is practicing peace, simplicity, naturalness, and humility. Lao-tzu believes that people are overloaded with temporal objects in this world. He recommends his readers to let go of everythingâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦For instance, he says ââ¬Å"If you want to be a great leader, you must learn how to follow.â⬠(Lao-tzu 29). Instead, he focuses on introducing Tao- the path to liv e or the way to enlightenment. However, Tao cannot be translated in one meaning. It has different interpretations which depend on the use of the term. As he refers in his book, Tao is the ideal path to live our life and ââ¬Å"Masterâ⬠is the one that governs people without being felt existed. Lao-tzu pointed out that ââ¬Å"[t]he Master leads by emptying peopleââ¬â¢s minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve.â⬠(3) By saying this, he meant that peopleââ¬â¢s desires can negligent them from the real world and that is how the ââ¬Å"Masterâ⬠leads; by eliminating desires that make people steal and compete for power. On the other hand, Lao-tzu admits that being the best leader, partly depends on how people feel about him/her. As he said in his book, ââ¬Å"Next best is a leader who is loved. Next one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised.â⬠(Lao-tzu 17) There are many examples of how successful leaders ca n be when they are being loved by their people. It is a natural act that affects them in being let to stay in power or not. Similarly, governments at the moment face this fact too and as we see throughout the world, governments are being overthrown because of their peopleââ¬â¢s distaste and hate. That isShow MoreRelatedA Prince By Lao Tzu1754 Words à |à 8 Pagesallow everything to harmonize with each other. These ideas come from the writer Lao-tzu in the piece called ââ¬Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching.â⬠Lao-tzu presents many idealist ways in his writing. The main focus is on the idea that people are able to govern themselves and partake in the actions they desire without restraint. As he wisely states, ââ¬Å"Practice not-doing, and everything will fall into place (206, Lao-tzu).â⬠This advice is not, however, agreed upon by all humans. Machiavelli, the authorRead More The Ideal State of Today Essay1789 Words à |à 8 Pagescreation of the first governmen t. 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Both have beliefs in an inner light t hat will guide a person into the right direction. Taoism is traditionally pointed back to Lao-tzu. There is not much known about him and some scholarââ¬â¢s doubt he existed. (Hopfe)The Tao Te Ching is one of the most influential books in Chinese literature and was supposedly written by Lao-tzu. The comparison that comes to my mind first with Taoism is Hermetic philosophy and how they coincide. My infatuation with this religion and philosophy
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