Tao Te Ching the Ancient

Tao Te Ching

The ancient world has produced a great deal of philosophers, each one attempting to feed the world with answers to some of the most common questions. Lao Tzu has written Tao Te Ching most probably with the intention of providing people with new concepts relating to life and to life conduit people should adopt. The Chinese writer wanted to have his readers abandon their material ways of living in favor of more complex ones. This paper will attempt to provide proof that the writer had indeed planed to demonstrate that everything is relative.

Considering the fact that the text is written in a manner that gives the readers unlimited space to think, it is very possible for two people to have different opinions when concerning the message that the author wanted to send through his writing. All across the text, the writer keeps sending confusing messages, and, in spite of the fact that most readers agree to the concept of relativity, it is difficult for one to accept that "Being honored is a disgrace" or that "Being valued will cause great discomfort to the body." Even if it is hard to understand his points-of-view, Lao Tzu brings arguments along in order to support his convictions. It appears that honor and value are material things, and that people that are more interested in gaining material things risk fighting in vain. As described by Nina Correa, chapter thirteen is all about people coming to peace with themselves and with the world first instead of vainly fighting for honor and value.

Mankind has always been accustomed to relating their convictions to logical matters, constantly rejecting every concept that could not be verified. Lao Tzu fights that very idea by presenting Dao as something that cannot be seen, heard, or touched. He attempts to bring arguments to support his statements in hope that people will appreciate the logics behind his writing.

In Lao Tzu's opinion, there is much more to Dao than just matter. In order to understand Dao people need to dispose of their previous concepts in relation to life and to their purpose on earth. Chapter fourteen gives instructions on how people should act if they actually want to see, hear, and touch Dao. According to Lao Tzu, one of the biggest mistakes made by people when they attempt to discover something is that they try to compare it to something from their daily lives.

As written in the Prehistoric Origins chapter, people constantly search for new theories to adopt and to follow for the rest of their lives. In contrast to that, Dao is not something that one could follow from a certain point in their lives, as it is something that people have always followed from the beginning of time. Unlike the sun that shines for only a limited amount of time Dao never begins and never ends, as it has been here forever.