The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) regarded religion, first and foremost, as a form of consolation from adversity. People do not want to face the hard facts of life and prefer to believe that their suffering will be compensated in the afterlife.
I do not agree with Nietzsche but I think that his criticism is worth pondering. When it comes to facing adversity, should we regard Taoism as a form of consolation? Did Lao-Tzu conceive his philosophy as a balm for the soul?
Certainly not, because neither Lao-Tzu nor the other ancient Taoist masters made any effort to offer consolation for injured, anxious or fearful people. In this sense, the writings of Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu are as tough as the Tao Te Ching.
After a long study of Taoism, I must express my conviction that Lao-Tzu never considered it important to offer consolation against adversity, setbacks or bad luck. The Tao Te Ching does exactly the contrary because it regards problems as the normal consequence of carelessness, ignorance or deficient foresight.
Choices and responsibility
Chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching compares human life with a wooden block. Each person is an artist capable of carving the wood, giving it a particular shape. It is up to each individual to determine the shape, that is, his lifetime mission and destiny.
However, in contrast to other philosophies and religions, the principles of Taoism warn the artist about the consequences of his choices. The artist can freely choose the shape, but natural law will determine what happens next.
If the artist carves an exceedingly thin shape, the wood will break and be irreparably damaged. If the artist carves the wood too quickly, he won’t be able to correct his mistakes; and if he chooses to give the wood an asymmetrical shape, the outcome will be unbalanced and disharmonious.
Good choices will lead to happiness, and wrong choices to pain and suffering. Taoism doesn’t threaten us with hellfire, but simply reminds us that we cannot circumvent natural law. For better or for worse, the artist cannot escape his responsibility.
Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu took for granted that people want to achieve happiness, not end up in misery. Their writings favour attitudes or habits that maximise good choices, and minimise errors.
The purpose of Taoism
The purpose of Taoist virtues is not to secure a comfortable place in heaven, but to enable natural law to generate current happiness. Lao-Tzu is referring to tangible benefits that render our lives more pleasurable, and keep adversity at bay.
Chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching recommends us to display purposefulness, consistency and alertness. If we practise those virtues, we will have natural law work in our favour. If we do the opposite, and display incoherence, insouciance and lack of purpose, we will inevitably suffer the consequences.
Lao-Tzu doesn’t admonish sinners, but on the other hand, he remains indifferent to their troubles. Taoists can display large generosity, but the Tao Te Ching doesn’t revolve around charity and compassion.
Inspired by Yang-Tzu’s individualism, Taoists may ask why hungry people have failed to save or store food for a rainy day. If someone finds himself forced to choose between a rock and a hard place, Taoists may inquire about the background story.
The conception of causality in Aristotle (384-322 BC) is not widely different from the Taoist concept of natural law, but the Tao Te Ching emphasises prevention. It calls for taking correct decisions upstream, so that happiness ensues downstream.
Lao-Tzu’s insights help us make correct decisions today and put them into practice quickly, so that we can keep tomorrow’s problems at bay. There is no need to grow anxious, but there is no excuse for passivity. We should do right now what needs to be done.
Empathy and compassion
The Tao Te Ching, like Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) would do in his theory of the will, takes for granted that passivity leads to disaster. However, Taoism offers remarkably little consolation to those who are confronted with the negative consequences of their inaction.
In this respect, Schopenhauer showed more empathy than the ancient Taoists. In “Parerga and Paralepomena” (1851), he gave solid advice on how to assuage life’s harshness; one of his recommendations is the practice of compassion.
Schopenhauer had studied Buddhism in depth, and adopted some elements of the Buddhist ethics. He viewed empathy and compassion as highly desirable because it helps decrease pain and suffering in the world.
In contrast, Chapter 35 of the Tao Te Ching advises Taoist practitioners to find joy in the workings of natural law. If those workings lead to sweet rewards, we should welcome them, but if they generate bitter punishments, so be it.
Lao-Tzu views both sides of the coin as natural, harmonious and inevitable. Even when the consequences are negative, we’ll be at least able to learn a lesson; that’s why Taoist practitioners are able to find peace in their heart, no matter what.
Older translations of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu seldom employ words such as adversity, misfortune, bad luck, or setbacks. When negative events occur, we should figure out the root cause, so that we avoid it in the future.
Indeed, it makes sense to minimize suffering and repair the damage as quickly as possible, but that’s not the essential idea conveyed by Taoism. I only need to point to Chapter 63 of the Tao Te Ching, which exhorts us to address problems when they are still small, so that the situation does not get worse.
For Taoists, adversity and suffering are frequent events in human life, but we should do our best to avoid them like the plague. Lao-Tzu’s wisdom encourages us to carefully look and think before we jump, so that we can stay healthy, prosperous and happy.
If you are interested in putting effective strategies into practice in all sorts of situations, I recommend my book “The Philosophy of Builders.”