{"id":11279,"date":"2014-08-31T09:25:01","date_gmt":"2014-08-31T13:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/?p=11279"},"modified":"2014-08-31T09:25:01","modified_gmt":"2014-08-31T13:25:01","slug":"taoist-lessons-for-politicians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ianchadwick.com\/blog\/taoist-lessons-for-politicians\/","title":{"rendered":"Taoist Lessons for Politicians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Verse<\/a>Those who look down upon this world,\u00a0will surely take hold and try to change things.<\/strong> So begins verse 29 of the 4th century BCE Chinese classic (Jonathan Star translation*<\/span>), the Tao Te Ching<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That verse\u00a0suggests that those who feel themselves superior to the world\u00a0and\u00a0to others, who feel their actions, thoughts, views and beliefs are above those of others, will attempt to impress their own rule on others. And, as the verse continues, they can only fail in their attempts to control things. Control slips from their fingers.**<\/span><\/p>\n

There’s a lesson here in verse 29, that\u00a0winds throughout the book.\u00a0It’s\u00a0not simply for mystics and those who seek philosophical answers: it’s\u00a0for politicians, including\u00a0local candidates, too.<\/p>\n

Moderation, humility, compromise, Lao Tzu suggests, is what works best; blunt attempts to control the world through confrontation, anger and challenge fail.<\/p>\n

Some of his words of advice would fit the medieval “mirror for princes” books, which Machiavelli challenged in The Prince,<\/em> but which Balthasar Gracian remade in his Art of Worldly Wisdom<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0couple of millennia have proven Lao Tzu\u00a0right. Many others have shared his views over the ages – not necessarily because they read him, but because they came to similar conclusions about people and power. You can’t simply be negative and look down on things as if you could rule the world.\u00a0A sense of superiority just isn’t enough to make a difference: you need virtue. Michel de Montaigne<\/a> wrote:<\/p>\n

Every other knowledge is harmful to him who does not have knowledge of goodness.
\nBook I, ch. 25<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lao Tzu’s small book is peppered with similar advice. It’s short enough to be read in an hour, but rich enough to be returned to through a lifetime.<\/p>\n

The Derek Lin<\/a> translation gives this rendition for verse 29:<\/p>\n

Those who wish to take the world and control it
\nI see that they cannot succeed
\nThe world is a sacred instrument
\nOne cannot control it
\nThe one who controls it will fail
\nThe one who grasps it will lose<\/p>\n

Because all things:
\nEither lead or follow
\nEither blow hot or cold
\nEither have strength or weakness
\nEither have ownership or take by force<\/p>\n

Therefore the sage:
\nEliminates extremes
\nEliminates excess
\nEliminates arrogance<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other translations concur, albeit offer alternate renderings. Regardless of specific wording, or which translation you prefer, all have a similar message that resonates in today’s politics. ***<\/span>
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\nThe lesson here for all<\/em> politicians and would-be politicians at every\u00a0level, local to national is: you cannot control the world like you think you can. Things move out of your control too fast; events and issues change and evolve and pass us by. Force fails to accomplish anything lasting.<\/p>\n

You need to look forward, to prepare for the future, not the current that has passed you by. Trying to roll back the clock to a time that suits you only fails.<\/p>\n

Verse \u00a068 adds a description that fits a politician and warrior equally:<\/p>\n

The best warrior
\nleads without haste
\nfights without anger
\novercomes without confrontation
\nHe puts himself below
\nand brings out the highest in his men.
\nThat is the virtue of not confronting
\nof working with the abilities you have…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like Lucretius said, you never step into the same river twice. Politicians (and moreso, candidates for office) tend to be reactive: they respond to the river that has already gone past them. Yes, sometimes you can undo things or force change – usually at a cost well beyond the value of the effort – but once the horse has left the barn, closing the door doesn’t usually accomplish anything positive. And eventually things return to their original state, despite your efforts.<\/p>\n

Forcing things is not the best approach,as Lao Tzu wrote, in verse 30:<\/p>\n

Those who rule in accordance with Tao
\ndo not use force against the world.
\nFor that which is forced is likely to return…
\nThings that gain a place by force
\nwill flourish for a time
\nbut then fade away…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s a second lesson in this verse about karma: your actions will come back on you. So do good, show virtue and be generous, and you will be repaid in kind. Use force, anger and confrontation against them, and you will suffer from others what you make them suffer. That’s the “Golden Rule<\/a>” –\u00a0another ancient observation that has been universally accepted by religions and philosophers since recorded history began. It has been reiterated in a thousand different ways since:<\/p>\n

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