Taoism and Me
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Taoism and Me
My introduction to Lao-tzu and Taoism in the module one assignment resulted in my purchase of a copy of the Tao te Ching. In my reading of it, I have found that it describes a way of living that is very close to the way I have tried to live my life. That is, to take one day at a time, be humble and kind to others, enjoy what you do, and good things will happen to you. I will attempt to explain how Taoism mirrors my own philosophy regarding the seven main areas.
To begin with, here is a passage that can be used to sum up Lao-tzu's directions for living:
Act without contriving;
work naturally, and taste the tasteless;
magnify the small; increase the few,
and reward bitterness with care.
Seek the simple in the complex,
and achieve greatness in small things.
It is the way of nature
that even difficult things are done with ease,
and great acts made up of smaller deeds.
The sage achieves greatness by small deeds multiplied.
Promises easily made are most easily broken
and acting with insufficient care
causes subsequent trouble.
The sage confronts problems as they arise,
so that they do not trouble him...