Philosophy in Ancient Chinese
Philosophy, as demonstrated by Lao Tzu is a way to govern with Nature. This
is shown in the way he specifies the solution to the philosophical problem. The solution to the said philosophical problem
is to go back to the Tao. In order to go
back to the Tao, one does not simply need to cultivate it to himself
alone. He must lead others back to the
Tao as well. Only then that one can
truly prove that he lived his life according to Nature. For Lao Tzu, the learning of Nature does not
end in the individual cultivating the values of Nature in his character. Rather, he must help others and take the
responsibility of leading them back to Nature. This, however, can only be done
when one deeply reflects. Deep
reflection aids one to gain deep knowledge of himself, realize the presence of
others, understand life purposes and finds contentment in simplicity.
The solution to the philosophical
problem cannot be realized in the society if those who are wise will not become
rulers. The state should be ruled by Sage Emperor. He is the rightest ruler who
can cultivate among the people the values of humility, simplicity and
contentment. It is in this light that the Taoist Sage as the Sage Emperor of
the state contributes to the solution of disharmony in society.
The Sage Emperor governs without
restrictions. He believes in the
capacities of his people and lets them do what they can. He does not interfere
in their affairs but only leads them to obey and do what are necessary. This is
deemed to be the first duty of the Sage Emperor. As Fung Yu-Lan stated in his book entitled A Short History of Chinese Philosophy,
“The duty of the sage ruler is not to do things, but rather to undo or not to
do at all.” 1
Fung’s statement about “undoing” and “not doing” does not imply that a
ruler is irresponsible and lazy.
“Undoing” and “not doing” in this sense rather means letting people
become more responsible in actions without applying force on them. “Undoing”
means leading the people towards Nature when they shun away from it and “not
doing” means leading them to what they are.
Being more responsible in one’s actions is avoiding the
unnecessary. It prevents one from worsening
the situation. In other words, being
more responsible in one’s actions is “not doing” anything which can add to the
problems of society or state. In being
more responsible, the Sage Emperor does not only avoid the possibility of disharmony
among his people but also he also spares himself from the injury of desiring
more. He focuses his attention to what
is necessary and rules with simplicity and humility. He has freed himself from desire and greed.
The government of the Sage
Emperor is government of non-interference.
This is the specified solution in which Lao Tzu shows in order for the
Sage Emperor to help his people go back to the Tao. It is in this sense that he becomes the
foundation of establishing natural harmony in the state. He does what is just and needed of a
situation. He does not impose but respect what his people can do. He does not interfere but aids the people to
obey necessary laws without excesses.
He avoids the extremes and lets the people realize the necessity of
contentment by living their lives within their means. He rules not by restrictions but by the
mandates of letting things be. This
non-interference policy gives wider space for people to know more about
themselves. Too much of restrictions
through laws can cause chaos and disorder.
Interference can be understood in
two ways: first, imposing an artificial
solution to the natural problems inherent in the state, and second, formulating
too many restrictions or laws in the state. Firstly, let us discuss the matter about
imposing an artificial solution to the natural problems inherent in the state. This
interference may be observed in terms of suppressing a demonstration using
military force. Demonstrations are a
natural part of a state’s growth. They
form part of the reality that indeed one cannot please anybody. This principle extends even in matters of
governance. But the Sage Emperor does
not interfering when problems arise. He
does not send out the police to forcefully silence the protesters. He is not imposing an artificial solution in
it. And because of this, he spares many
lives, and prevents any civilian casualties if ever he did the contrary.
However, commonly, non-sage
rulers think of this as a threat to peace and order. For them demonstrations
hurt their reputation, thus ordering policemen to forcefully silence such
protests. This is an example of imposing
an artificial solution to a natural problem.
It is overdoing his power as ruler. It is overdoing the law of keeping
the peace and order in the state by throwing tear gases to the protesters or
pumping high-pressured water on them.
Suppressing the demonstration worsens situation. Too much interference provokes people to rebel
against the ruler. Restriction may be
good in keeping order, but imposing on it too much may defeat its purpose of
promoting peace and order. This is usually the reason why rebellions
occur, because the people are provoked and denied of their freedom to manifest
their natural capabilities.
Restrictions are unnatural.
They brings chaos and discomforts to people. The common notion of a government is that it
must have laws or provisions to protect the rights of the people, therefore,
new laws are drafted every single time to address a particular concern. Although this poses a good objective, it
actually defeats its purpose. This is
because having too many things to satisfy will make the people think of
unnecessary things. It will make them
think of ways of finding the loopholes of a law, because it restricts
them. When one is being pushed too hard,
his natural tendency is to break away from it.
This principle is the same if a ruler of a state imposes too many things
to its people. They lose their focus and
develop distrust to the ruler.
When such negative effects become adamant to the people, the state
falters. Its transactions are not
carried out properly, and disorder arises. People slowly divert from the ways
of Nature because they are blinded with their desire to get out of the
restrictive system. However, if such
restriction was not done in the first place, then injury between the
individuals among themselves or even with the state will be avoided. If
artificial solutions were not imposed by the ruler in times such as
demonstrations, then issues and other negative events will be avoided.
Governing does not necessarily imply that rulers need to be
restrictive. This is a wrong notion in
governance. The government of the Sage
Emperor shows that a state is something patterned to Nature. A state
should be nourished and preserved by its ruler and people. Through the Sage Emperor, every individual
will realize that the state is like Nature which nourishes and preserves the
values and natural capabilities of its people.
It must not restrict them or push them into being “unnatural”. All of these can only be attained by deep
reflection through the Taoist sage as the Sage Emperor of the State.
Governing with non-interference is the natural expression of the
wisdom of the Sage Emperor. This active
characteristic is expressed on his responsible actions of not adding fuel to the
fire, in case problems arise in the state. Non-interference in this sense can also be
understood as the patience of the ruler when he needs to act rightly in order
for impulse not to overtake him. This is
because he has the responsibility to lead other people and aid them in
nurturing their natural capacities. It
is also in this way that the state will flourish in peace and harmony.
Using non-interference as a method of governance only shows that the
state is made for the preservation and the nourishment of the people, just like
what Nature does to all of the living and non-living organisms in this
earth. The state is for the Sage Emperor
to teach the ways of Nature to the people who are overtaken by desires. The state exists to make the Sage Emperor
transmit to his people the values of Nature. The common mistake of most rulers
or political leaders is considering that the state as owned by them.
In philosophizing, the principle is the same. Deep reflection leads one to the realm of the
profound. Philosophizing through deep reflection is a natural way to go back to
Tao. It leads one to the origin of everything,
to the reality of opposites, to the truth of happiness and to lasting union
with Nature.
Deep reflection must be used as a way to nourish one’s understanding about
the course of Nature, and help to increase the number of simple, humble and
contented people in society. Such is
the solution to disharmony or disorder in society. The contribution of all for the realization
of harmony is the true manifestation of harmony founded in Nature. This only
goes to show that deep reflection makes one realize that the real test of his
learning is not on how he ingrained in inside himself alone, but rather on how
he would show it to others so that they will have the same realization.
Philosophy indeed, is a way to govern with Nature. In deep reflection, one returns to Nature and
imbues him the wisdom he gained after understanding the revealed ways of Nature
to him. By deeply reflection about the
things around him, an individual can realize the proper way of manifesting such
learning to the people around him. In philosophizing, one can govern with
Nature. Through philosophizing, one realizes that Nature is the fundamental
foundation of all things. It is not to
be contradicted. In deep reflection, one is able to see his connection with
Nature and his primary responsibility to keep it as an essential guide in happy
living.
This is the lesson that Lao Tzu wishes to show us as he emphasizes the
concept of the appointment of the Taoist sage as the Sage Emperor and the government
of non-interference. Nature is here for
a person to understand and get to appreciate more the value of living a happy,
simple, and content life. Nature is here
to teach a person what are the necessary things in his life. And part of such necessary need in one’s life
is to reveal to others the ways of Nature in the way one lives his life. This can be done either in a political set-up,
or in any way one can become an instrument for peace and harmony in society. Having
to realize such connection with Nature can only be done constantly in
reflection.
The responsibility of leading others does not necessarily imply that
one must be desperate in having a particular position in the government. Even in one’s simple ways of manifesting the
values of simplicity, humility, and contentment to others is enough to do such
responsibility. Even in one’s simple
display of appreciation over doing a simple project, or being thrifty are
enough to show such values. In deeply
reflecting about one’s experiences, he extracts important lessons that he
internalizes in life. When one gets to realize the mistakes that he made in a
recent experience and became a better person, then he manifests the values of
Nature. When he influences others to do the same, then
he becomes wiser. He becomes a blessing
in the state. He is an instrument of
unity and harmony because of his simple and humble attitude towards everyone.
In our present government today, it seems that this essential
principle is forgotten by our political leaders. Instead of dealing with state problems such
as rebellion, terrorism, and preservation of peace in such a non-interfering
manner, they do the opposite. In order
to quell rebellion, political leaders send out troops. In order to stop terrorism, an air strike is
initiated. In order to preserve peace,
military force is utilized to silence the other. All of these methods are depictions of the
misunderstanding of leading the nation.
This is the result when one does not have the values of Nature in
him. He insists on his way and does
things that aggravate the problems. The problems of the state are natural
problems, and therefore can only be solved by a natural solution. This natural solution lies in the patience of
the rulers in letting the problems solve themselves. This does not imply that the rulers would not
do anything about the said issues, but rather it requires the rulers to act
only at the right time. This implies
that the rulers need to deeply reflect about their decisions away from whims
and caprices. In this way, peace and
harmony is realized. Thus this pave way
to a brighter future for the people, the government, the rulers, and the state.
Yet, one has to philosophize in order to understand things and do what is
necessary.
The principle also applies to common tendency of students. Commonly, they are less involved in the
affairs of our own community. It always
been the typical attitude of students like us not to be so concerned with the
matters of society. This must not be
adapted. We must outgrow such
attitude. The true measure of, say, a
philosophy student is to delve into the world and prove his learning by dealing
with other people. Only then that a
philosophy student can indeed say that he has really learned something.
Ideas and other reflections are useless when one’s life is not
transformed by them. In other words, a
philosophy student needs to manifest in him the learning and the profound
realization he had as he takes the arduous journey of understanding and
internalizing the ways of Nature. Nature
must not be taken as an excuse of no involvement, but rather it must be used as
a reminder that each of us has an important role to play in the development of
the world. One has the responsibility
for the other. One must treat the other
as co-equal, just as Nature is impartial with the rich and the poor.
This calls for philosophy students to not merely stay as critics or
intellectuals, but rather be Sage Emperors in their own simple manner. Philosophizing is not merely an opportunity to
impress or to feel good about the self.
Philosophizing is the way in which one can cultivate
values
that can aid him in leading others by the ways taught by Nature. Philosophizing can teach an individual to
extend his responsibility in a larger scale, namely in his relations to his
community or his state. Philosophizing,
therefore, calls every one to be more active and more responsible with their lives
and the state. This is the way Lao Tzu
presents Philosophy.
As a student, I share a similar tendency of many Philosophers who
strongly critique political matters and ethical issues. I have a tendency not to bother on matters
around my community and does not usually realize their importance in my life. I have always dismissed such issues as
something petty and insignificant in my growth both as a thinker and a young
adult. I have always put social matters away from my
concerns. However, my perspective began
to change when I decided to get a voter’s ID. The longer I deeply reflected on my age, the
more I realized that it is not good to be hermit-like in such a time. I began to realize that each one of us grows
up and needs to assume certain responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities require
involvement in society. I realized that
all of my learning about social change and responsibility, and the values
concerning nationalism would be put to waste if I am not to put them in
practice.
I had these thoughts as I went
through the process of getting the voter’s ID.
I felt like after such deep reflection, I wanted to be involved. I wanted to be part of the solution I am
always saying every time I heard news on political problems. I wanted to be one of the manifestations of
the possibility that peace and order can still be attained. I had all these thoughts as the process of
filling up the forms and getting my picture were going on. As a philosophy student, I cannot live in
isolation forever. I need to get out of
my comfort zone and participate in the community. Only then that I can see my virtues bearing
fruit inside of me and only then that I can see if I have really incorporated
all the values about humility, simplicity, and contentment in my life. In such a simple event of getting a voter’s
ID, I felt good about what I have done.
The acceptance of the responsibility of being a future voter made me
feel grown up and wise. It made me feel
like a Sage Emperor in my own little ways.
Source:
1.
Fung Yu-Lan, “Lao Tzu”, (New York: The Free
Press, 1948), In A Short History of
Chinese Philosophy, 102.
