Chapter 18

Chapter 18

When the great Tao is abandoned,
charity and righteousness appear.
When intellectualism arises,
hypocrisy is close behind.

When there is strife in the family unit,
people talk about ‘brotherly love’.

When the country falls into chaos,
politicians talk about ‘patriotism’.

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Is it possible that Lao Tzu had some affinity with the ideology of anarchism? Because Lao Tzu seems to emphasize the importance of “naturalness” in this chapter.

Apart from that issue, I believe that this chapter provides an insight into how Lao Tzu’s binary opposites can help us on a practical level.

One friend of mine once told me that he can tell whether or not he is in good mood by watching a comedy program. When he laughs a lot watching it, he says, he can tell that he feels fine. When he doesn’t, then that indicates he is in bad mood.

However, I have a little different way of making such a judgment on myself. If I discover myself reading Greene’s 50th Law a lot more often than usual for a reason other than simply reading for entertainment, then I take it that I feel a little insecure for some reason. I won’t define specifically what causes those feelings. But that could mean losing your job or being about to lose it. Or it could mean losing friends or growing insecure over my circumstances.

When I look for guidance through books and write lots of encouraging quotes or personal thoughts on paper to cheer myself up or toughen myself, then that means I want to do something about myself feeling uneasy.

Lao Tzu rightly indicates that a superficial movement for encouraging positive qualities and virtues suggests hidden uncomfortable feelings such as inner turmoil or fear of losing control. Because if society was virtuous already, no one would need to argue that we should become virtuous. When you say that something should be done, it means that it is not being done and that there is a problem. It’s simple.

When something is happening and you see it, you must figure out what is the substance behind it that causes it. When you see something, it usually indicates in reality an opposite of what you see.

For example, Greene notes in the 33 Strategies of War that when somebody has suddenly changed and shows some exaggerated niceties to you in a competitive work environment, it means that something bad is going on. He is plotting against you. People that have not experienced this kind of “passive aggression” would not understand what Greene is talking about. I’ve experienced this myself and therefore can attest to his argument.