Philosophysm Daily - Laozi

Today we'll be looking at Chinese philosopher, Laozi - the accredited creator of 'The Dao'(The Way).

Laozi is quite an ambigious figure, not much is known about him or his personal life. He was most active around 6th Century BC at a time when China, much like Greece, was experiencing a boom in philosophical thought. It's during this time that Laozi constructed the 'Daode jing' - a body of work which would become critical to many a famous Chinese philosopher in later years.

So what is this 'Daode jing' and why is it so important? Well, Laozi deduced that inherent to the natural world was an order of progression, a 'Way' that was woven into the fabric of all life, ultimately guiding the earth along it's path in perfect harmony. The ancient Chinese were drawn to the idea of cycles in the natural world, and with good reason - the earth rotates, the seasons come and go, every death nourishes new life etc... This was a big reason in Laozi's argument of the 'Dao' - there is a cycle of continuous life that happens seamlessly, without any effort, it simply is.

Of course, the problem with this is that humanity can, and often does, operate outside of the Dao - disrupting the balance of our so beautifully poised planet. Laozi's philosophy stresses the importance of reuniting with the Dao by doing four things:

1. Meditation and reflection
2. Living in peace, simplicity, and serenity
3. Being in harmony with nature
4. Acting thoughtfully without impulse

Considering how modern society is so brutally disrupting the earth's natural flow with it's pollution and over-population, destruction of forests and cruelty towards animals - and furthermore considering the rise in mental illness and general unhappiness among the earth's people, maybe we should heed the methods of Laozi, and really embrace The Way - not the way of comfort, convenience, and selfishness - but the natural order we were all once very connected to.

Thank you for reading !

Sources:
Epoch Times
Chinese Times School