The ancient Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu (389-286BC) was one of the earliest interpreters of the religion of taoism. Googled some quotes and here's a gem: "Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness." Here's another one for Bill Maher: "Men honor what lies within their sphere of knowledge but do not realize how dependent they are on what lies beyond it." But perhaps my favorite is this:
"To say that something is chance is to deny a principle at work."
Every now and then I look back at chapters in my own life, often the odder or more enigmatic events stand out, chance meetings, funny characters, mysterious chains-of-events, the unexplained meanings of things. Worked with a guy once and maybe it's because he's of a spiritual bent but he said to me one day he almost wound up at another job but felt he's at this one for a reason. Beth feels there's a significance in us forming an online friendship and I agree, it's as if it were destined to happen. We're living in a kind of agnostic existential vacuum right now where many place no more meaning on Life's little events than accidentally kicking a pebble while walking but quotes like this fascinate me. It then becomes this - since there are physical laws in place governing matter and the universe might not there be another operative set of laws that a philosopher can discern, a kind of spiritual physics? There is something vaguely optimistic in Tzu's quote even if we can't explain why we got four years of Jimmy Carter or the Dinkins Administration in New York. Hamlet said "there's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew (prepare for) them how we will." So enjoy this little fortune cookie. Now if someone could just explain David Lynch's Inland Empire.
"To say that something is chance is to deny a principle at work."
ReplyDeleteHMMM, so no such thing as coincidence? I'll have to give that more thought.
"Spiritual physics" - I like that notion!
ReplyDeleteI mean yeah these ancient mystics come up with these generalized statements and anyone can poke holes in them but I do think many coincidences are more than that not that true coincidences cannot exist. I'm only speaking personally here but looking back I've had things happen in my life that made perfect sense. It depends I guess on whether you believe in a personal God who takes an interest in us or just some Force out there that created the Cosmos and then just stood back to admire his work and left to do something else.
ReplyDeleteIt's like with conspiracies which coincidences can point in the direction of if seen as being more than simply coincidences. Now let's say I come up with a conspiracy in my own head that makes perfect sense, all the pieces fit, there's usually a meaning behind strange things and a theme emerges, people can razz me all they want about it but I reserve the right to have an opinion, despite criticism while in my solitude the thinking doesn't stop of course (this is why detectives are a different breed of animal, they don't think like the rest of us, they're always looking for an angle). Now either I'm wrong or they're clueless and let's face it, Tzu's principle makes Life more interesting doesn't it? (doesn't mean you have to get all Charlie Sheenish about it though)
ReplyDeleteI am the type who likes to find Meaning to things, like the ultimate "What is the Meaning of Life" sort of thing. And so reflecting on things and searching for Meaning can be really cool for me. But that I cannot always figure out the answer (like the Meaning of Life question!) I think proves that there is a higher Power that understands All.
ReplyDeleteHey, I just noticed, our names in blue here in the comment section are capitalized now and they weren't before...wonder what the Meaning of THAT is?!?
ReplyDeletePersonally as a Catholic I do believe in the existence of angels. OK so here's a perfect theoretical example of a "coincidence." Let's say a married man is driving in his brand new car to have a tryst and the car, known as a quality car breaks down. Now I would say that's God tapping you on the shoulder and if you ignore it next time He's gonna smack you inside the head. OK so Joe ain't so big on this Tzu guy but that's cool.
ReplyDeleteI could have had a terrible accident yesterday. I was going to work early yesterday morning driving in the left lane of a one-way street and this Hummer was coming at me fast the other way so at the last chance I changed into the right lane and just avoided a very bad smackup. Now is someone out to get me? highly unlikely but let's say I was a former secret drug agent who put people including cartel leaders in prison, the Hummer coming the other way would take on an added meaning for me. Anyway I'm kinda lucky to be blogging today.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I first noticed the upper caps yesterday, does that mean we finally hit the Big-Time?
ReplyDeleteOMG, see your near accident is why I do worry from time to time, I mean these sort of things do happen, but I am so glad you avoided the Hummer. Yikes, that must have got your heart racing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I first noticed the upper caps yesterday, does that mean we finally hit the Big-Time?
ReplyDeleteYou betcha!
Honestly I must be jaded or something but my heart didn't race. It's almost like you expect it, it's like the population contains a certain % of assholes so I just went to work. I would have been more annoyed at the car damage, it's a nice car.
ReplyDeleteWho cares about the car, that can be replaced, the Z-man, one of a kind, could never replace you!
ReplyDelete& you know the thing of it is he probably wouldn't have gotten hurt being in a Hummer. Lots of people do go down one-way streets without even knowing it, they somehow look like alternate roads. They need to put up a big skull sign or something. I find and this is just my opinion but I find being on the road very early in the morning you find the weirder characters, people just coming home, nobody's quite clear-headed. That's when the cops should be out.
ReplyDeleteThey're hanging out in the donut shop.
ReplyDeleteThat's right. Now I see patrol cars coming through my neighborhood at night but it's usually early evening but they really need to drive around the block a few times well after midnight. Criminals are like vampires, they come out at night breaking into cars etc. I also believe in giving out tickets to those drivers who really deserve it not because you make a kind of rolling stop at a stop sign and the cop has a quota to fill.
ReplyDelete