Weapons are the tools of violence;
all decent men detest them.
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Layer upon layer
She finds deep in her own experience the central truths of the art of living, which are paradoxical only on the surface: that the more truly solitary we are, the more compassionate we can be; the more we let go of what we love, the more present our love becomes; the clearer our insight into what is beyond good and evil, the more we can embody the good. Until finally she is able to say, in all humility, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life." S. Mitchell
Translation of the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell, Harper & Row, 1988. In keeping with copyright law only the chapter under study is fulltext. All other chapters show only the first stanza.
Study Group Contac: Lissa Lord:lissalord@gmail.com
Tao in WordLayers
Layer upon layer
If only governments would follow this passage. People good or bad, regardless of the cime(s) they commit are still humans not demons. But how easy it has been for governments or entities of power to exploit the option of demonization in order to get the general population motivated to then commit heinous crimes themselves. AAHHH. And yet we as a race still can't learn this passage.
ReplyDeleteUsing your clear, calm and quiet mind is more powerful than weapons of steel. Use these weapons only when there is simply no choice. I am anti-war from the get go but it is the Tao that shows me, as long as I am in this world, sometimes there is no choice but to have a choice to use force. And, I can think of instances in my personal life when this option of choice of violence would be applicable. Here, the natural world is an example for me to at least look at. There are critters out there, who have claws and sharp teeth and spiny fur who mean to do harm to get what they think they need. I know nature maintains its balance and it is not always pretty. Does man live in balance, also?
ReplyDeleteI so get this. If violence truly is absolutely necessary, and most the time it is not, it should be approached with a heavy heart, much sadness and regret.
ReplyDelete