From: ian glendinning (psybertron@gmail.com)
Date: Mon Aug 08 2005 - 12:41:09 BST
Platt, those two things may "sound" familiar to your rhetorical ears
and whatever you've got between them, but they say the opposite.
The Lao Tsu quote says "work with it rather that against it"
ie whilst it says "simply be" it does not say "do nothing".
(I should also point out that Lao Tsu is not Robert Pirsig
And the Tao Te Ching is not the MoQ.)
The biblical quote says "the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself"
ie something very like - don't even bother to think, it's all taken care of.
The aspect of this MoQ and Pirsig would support (and I quoted in my
previous contribution to this thread) is don't plan or fight the big
socio-cultural things, stick with the personal individual influential
things, that's where you can work with nature (unless of course you
find yourself in the unfortunate position of being elected president,
then other opportunities arise, even if the general advice remains the
same) . These are the places where well intentioned do-gooders cause
harm, changing things in the wrong place.
(Ask the "activists", they'll confirm that's the consistent advice
they get from me.
But it's irrelevant to what the MoQ is.)
And - aimed at you ad-hominem Platt - you are so bare-faced
inconsistent it beggars belief. How you dare propound passive Tao
acceptance in one post and line the ba***rds up against the wall and
shoot em in another. You cannot be for real. In fact look out for my
next post.
Ian
On 8/7/05, Platt Holden <pholden@sc.rr.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> For all you so-called activists out there who are determined to do
> something to change the world, read and heed the philosophy of Lao Tsu:
>
> "The philosophy of Lao Tsu is simple: Accept what is in front of you
> without wanting the situation to be other than it is, Study the natural
> order of things and work with it rather than against it, for to try to
> change what is ..... only sets up resistance. Nature provides everything
> without requiring payment or thanks and also provides for all without
> discrimination - therefore let us present the same face to everyone and
> treat all men as equals, however they may behave. If we watch carefully,
> we will see that work proceeds more quickly and easily if we stop
> "trying," if we stop putting in so much extra effort, if we stop looking
> for results. In the clarity of a still and open mind, truth will be
> reflected. We will come to appreciate the original meaning of the word
> "understand," which means to stand under" We serve whatever or whoever
> stands before us, without any thought for ourselves. Te-which may be
> translated as "virtue" or "strength"-lies always In Tao, or "natural law."
> In other words: Simply be."
>
> From Henry Gurr's presentation at the MOQ Conference in Liverpool.
>
> Sounds amazingly similar to the advice of Jesus: "Take therefore no
> thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things
> of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
>
> Doing nothing costs nothing in time, energy or money but has the potential
> for a beneficial outcome. Much harm can be done by well intentioned do-
> gooders.
>
> Platt
>
>
>
> MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
> Mail Archives:
> Aug '98 - Oct '02 - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
> Nov '02 Onward - http://www.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/summary.html
> MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
>
> To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
> http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
>
>
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archives:
Aug '98 - Oct '02 - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
Nov '02 Onward - http://www.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/summary.html
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Mon Aug 08 2005 - 13:22:43 BST