The Way and War
I suppose it would be helpful to define Tao and what it means to “follow the Way.” Too bad it’s not happening; if Lao Tzu can’t pin down what the Tao is what chance have I got! (/snark) Suffice to say that being in the Tao is of harmony and ease of doing; of peace and of the unconscious act; of things being done but no one doing the doing…think Michael Jordon any night that he was unstoppable. And the Tao Te Ching speaks to many other talents of a good ruler but I want to focus on war at the moment since it is the most pressing issue we as a nation face at this time…after of course gay marriage, flag burning, illegal aliens, bridges in Alaska, and gay, illegal alien construction workers who are burning flags while protesting for marriage rights.
Chapter 30
“He who assists the ruler with Tao does not dominate the world with force.
The use of force usually brings requital.
Wherever armies are stationed, briers and thorns grow.
Great wars are always followed by famine.” (1)
Where to start? This whole administration has been about dominationing; tax the poor, forget about any business regulations and a “It’s my way or the highway” attitude. The whole media image of Bush has been “he’s a manly man” and men start wars, just don’t actually fight them, that’s for other people.
And the briers and thorns and famine? A quick search for power and fresh water availability in Iraq, Iraqi newborn health care status, veteran and war widow benefits cuts and soldiers having deductions from their pay for lost (read: blown up) equipment will answer that.
Chapter 31
“Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man’s tools.
He uses them only when he has no choice.
…
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.
…
When many people are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why a victory must be observed like a funeral.” (2)
Afghanistan: could have been Bush’s biggest triumph but he never cared about actually doing the job right; Iraq was and is the prize to be won. “Just think! We’ll have our hands on the oil spigot for the world!” Iraq was a choice and it has completely brought requital upon the U.S.
Does George Bush really delight in killing? With his attitude toward those on death row in Texas on record and the little victory strut under the “Mission Accomplished” banner…boy that’s a toughie…hmm…ok I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he doesn’t “delight” in killing but only because I don’t know what he’s thinking (“Damn it! Where’s the hell is Condi? I gotta go again…”)
Boy how long did it take for images of actual dead soldiers to be show in the news? Until then Iraq was the most pain and suffering free war ever. Who knew that people died? And how long did it take Bush to go to a funeral? I know he’s met some wounded soldiers but has he really met the dead? And again with the party aboard the carrier; where was the gravitas? Where was the humble victor? Where was the acknowledgement of the horror and devastation wrought in the name of “security?”
“From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. “ Pres. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (total word count 1826)
“Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume. … We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war.“ Gen. MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri (total word count 1055)
Next post: The Way, the people and the princes.
Texts:
1. Chan, Wing-Tsit. The Way of Lao Tzu. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1963.
2. English, Jane and Gia-Fu Feng. Tao Te Ching. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
Chapter 30
“He who assists the ruler with Tao does not dominate the world with force.
The use of force usually brings requital.
Wherever armies are stationed, briers and thorns grow.
Great wars are always followed by famine.” (1)
Where to start? This whole administration has been about dominationing; tax the poor, forget about any business regulations and a “It’s my way or the highway” attitude. The whole media image of Bush has been “he’s a manly man” and men start wars, just don’t actually fight them, that’s for other people.
And the briers and thorns and famine? A quick search for power and fresh water availability in Iraq, Iraqi newborn health care status, veteran and war widow benefits cuts and soldiers having deductions from their pay for lost (read: blown up) equipment will answer that.
Chapter 31
“Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man’s tools.
He uses them only when he has no choice.
…
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.
…
When many people are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why a victory must be observed like a funeral.” (2)
Afghanistan: could have been Bush’s biggest triumph but he never cared about actually doing the job right; Iraq was and is the prize to be won. “Just think! We’ll have our hands on the oil spigot for the world!” Iraq was a choice and it has completely brought requital upon the U.S.
Does George Bush really delight in killing? With his attitude toward those on death row in Texas on record and the little victory strut under the “Mission Accomplished” banner…boy that’s a toughie…hmm…ok I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he doesn’t “delight” in killing but only because I don’t know what he’s thinking (“Damn it! Where’s the hell is Condi? I gotta go again…”)
Boy how long did it take for images of actual dead soldiers to be show in the news? Until then Iraq was the most pain and suffering free war ever. Who knew that people died? And how long did it take Bush to go to a funeral? I know he’s met some wounded soldiers but has he really met the dead? And again with the party aboard the carrier; where was the gravitas? Where was the humble victor? Where was the acknowledgement of the horror and devastation wrought in the name of “security?”
“From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. “ Pres. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (total word count 1826)
“Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume. … We have known the bitterness of defeat and the exultation of triumph, and from both we have learned there can be no turning back. We must go forward to preserve in peace what we won in war.“ Gen. MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri (total word count 1055)
Next post: The Way, the people and the princes.
Texts:
1. Chan, Wing-Tsit. The Way of Lao Tzu. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1963.
2. English, Jane and Gia-Fu Feng. Tao Te Ching. New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
