Taoism
I subscribed to one of those interesting intellectual topics of the day when I was searching for info on something like quantum mechanics (remember, I’m a nerd). The email has 4 different topics each day on a variety of science, philosophy, etc. Yesterday, one of the topics was an article entitled “4 Practical Lessons From Taoism”.
A decade or so ago, I saw one of those Discovery channel expose’ on Lao Tzu. He was a Chinese Philosopher and wrote the text that was foundational to Taoism. Now, I’m doing this from memory (I probably should research this, hold on - ok, good thing I checked). According to an online source, he is most likely the compilation of several people or maybe one person, Laozi, who was a part of the royal entourage. Notice the lack of certainty of who or whom made the concept up. This is the first clue to notice and issue with it. The article itself starts out by suggesting that the philosophy “contains paradoxical and seemingly contradictory lines that can baffle even careful readers.” This is the second clue that something is amiss.
The rest of the article, in my opinion, contained some good advice. The 4 practical lessons mentioned in the article are:
1). The way is right in front of you
2). Be spontaneous
3). Take a broad perspective
4). Practice effortless action (by not practicing it)
The first lesson given in the first one is if you are entering a meeting with a bunch of people and you are angry and visibly upset, you are much less likely to get the objective accomplished than if you go in willing to work with everyone. The objective should be to end up in the benefit of everyone.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:4
The second lesson given is not to be spontaneous as we normally think of the word but to understand whatever we are doing so much that we can make it optimal. Given our world of constant distractions this seems impossible for each of us to understand everything. It seems finding trusted resources is sage advice.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” - 2 Timothy 3:16
The third lesson given is to think beyond yourself (to include all men and animals and nature). In other words, consider the big picture.
“And he said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’” - Mark 4:30-32
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” - Matthew 16:26
The fourth lesson given is to “try not to try.” As I read this section of the article, I got confused what it meant much less suggested. I think it was close to the second lesson of being so in tune with everybody and everything around you that you don’t have to think without knowing what to do. To me, this sounds like a morality core that each of us has.
“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” - Romans 3:21-26, 31
People have a God shaped hole in their soul that they are desperate to fill. There are lots of positive aspects that other non-believing people have and we need to acknowledge that. However, what we have that they don’t have is a redeemer in Christ that doesn’t require us to tally up all our “good deeds” in order to be saved.
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:1-10
It is not bad or immoral to understand what non-believing people believe. In fact, it helps us respond to them with gentleness and respect. This is why we have the great commission, so we can share what we’ve been given with others.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20
