The Sun Will Set
Our society is obsessed with many things. One of them is youth, or at least the appearance of it. Desiring to remain young or even return to an earlier age is nothing new, certainly. Stories of magical elixirs and fountains of youth have been around for ages. Yet this desire to reverse the effects of time has grown far beyond myths and legends and become a full time industry.
We have creams to fade age spots and hide wrinkles. We have dyes for our hairs to restore color where the color has left. There are thousands of products to make us look younger and feel younger, and when those fail we hire surgeons to forcefully remove what could no longer be hidden.
The first half of our journey we charge forward, arms outstretched, taking on life and whatever it brings with it. With vigor and enthusiasm, we race to the top of the mountain, ready to conquer. Once we are there, in our prime, it’s a glorious moment. Yet it’s not long before we look back and see the others climbing and are reminded that it won’t be long before we must walk down the other side.
But rather than enjoy the decent, the sunset warming our smiling faces, we act as if we are being drug down, against our will, clawing desperately at the ground. This is not the way of nature, or life. All things that grow in strength must decline to weakness.
Struggling against this decline is not only unnatural, but a pointless effort. Just as being young and virile is a part of growing up, so are the physical effects of aging part of growing old.
I’m not suggesting we are to give up and just decompose quietly. We should take care of ourselves: eat well, exercise well, sleep well. The time spent on being concerned with the appearance of age is time we could be spending enjoying the life we have.
No matter how much time we spend trying to deceive ourselves and others, we must grow old. The choice, however, is do we define ourselves by the life we have spent, or the life we have to spend?
The beauty of youth is not in the skin or the color of the hair. It is the passion for living. No amount of creams can provide this. The energy that drives us during our ascent does not have to be left at the mountain top. Continue the journey back down with the same enthusiasm.
Our bodies will age, accept it. Don’t struggle against it. Our passion for life…let that remain constant. If we do, we will always be filled with youth.
The Taijitu
Probably one of the most recognizable symbols associated with Daoism is the taijitu. It’s also commonly referred to as the “yin-yang”, or tai’chi symbol. Recently someone asked me if the depiction of the symbol with the dark side rising was “bad”. I think this stems from a common misconception which seems to be prevalent in Western thought. Dark is bad, light is good. If you depict the dark side on the left, giving the appearance that its swirling into a top, or dominant position, then it is implying that the bad is stronger or somehow overcoming the good.
Yin, is represented by the dark color and means “shady place” while yang is the lighter color and means “sunny place”. The swirling symbol containing these two concepts is called the taijitu and means “diagram of the supreme ultimate”.
The idea being conveyed is that all things are comprised of duality. There cannot be shadow without light. There cannot be men without women. Concepts such as good cannot exist without a complementary concept of bad. However this should not be taken as the dark represents intrinsically undesirable traits. After all, Yin classically represents “female” and Yang represents “male”. To infer that the female is negative from this or that the male is superior is missing the point.
Yin and Yang are both equal parts of the whole. They cannot exist without each other. The taijitu is purposefully represented to suggest a swirling motion. This means that all positions of the interaction are constantly changing which relates the idea of balance.
In Western thought however, we like static symbols. A five pointed star takes on different meaning to some if the single point is depicted at the top instead of the inverted position. One is considered positive and the other is considered negative. The same is common with the Christian cross. Inverted, it is commonly seen as representing the opposite. This is a distinct difference from the purpose of the taijitu. There are no different meanings no matter how it is “turned” when presented.
It’s important to keep in mind that all symbols are neutral. The only “meaning” they bear is what is applied to them by the viewer. This is best illustrated by the swastika. It’s commonly known that the symbol existed long before the Nazi party adopted it. Yet because of its use to represent an ideology which brought us one of the most horrific periods of modern history, it’s practically universally recognized as being negative.
Daoism is not a system that promotes one concept over the other. It recognizes that duality is a core element of nature. We do not strive to abolish yin or yang as they are dependent upon each other. There is no “inverted” position of the taijitu. The motion it is meant to depict implies there is not a static position.
People can certainly infer whatever meaning they want on a symbol for themselves and no one can stop them. However that meaning comes from them, not the symbol, nor from Daoism.
Choosing Not To See
So many of us have our eyes open and good vision yet we do not see. It’s not because we’re incapable, but we just don’t look. We don’t want to see.
In U.S. politics, party members and supporters often summarily reject the ideas of other parties. Are they unilaterally against any ideas which don’t originate from their own camp? Or do they just refuse to see? The desire to be correct blinds us.
On a personal level, some turn their backs on the mirror when pressed to really look at themselves and their choices. Those people who want to believe something will not even consider an opposing view. This is most common with religious views. My way is right, every other way is wrong. There is no discussion.
While this is often obvious, even to the intentionally blind, the willful closing of our eyes is not always so apparent when dealing with our closest relationships. We can reach a point where we stop looking at them and see only what we choose to see. People constantly evolve over time, and we have to keep evolving our vision of them as well. Otherwise one day you may wake up and feel as if your best friend or spouse is a stranger.
How? Listen. Really listen. Look at each other when you talk. Make regular time for sharing the details of each others lives. Compromise. Keep yourself integrated. Start with your close relationships then work outwards.
The intentional blindness of our society comes from this: Lack of integration. When a society is self absorbed it fractures. Get to know your neighbors. Meet people in your community. Honestly. Not for appearance. Take a genuine interest in those in your life.
It may not heal a society, but it may help you see again.
Balance
In Taoism, we talk about balance as the state of being from which all other things begin.
Nonbeing gives birth to the oneness. The oneness gives birth to yin and yang. Yin and Yang give birth to heaven, earth, and beings. Heaven, earth, and beings give birth to everything in existence. – Daodejing, Chapter 42 (Walker).
In most translations, “nonbeing” is interchangeable with Tao. The oneness would be “being”. Then from being comes the forces, and from the forces comes life, matter, etc. Finally, everything else comes from those.
Existing, or “being” is the central state from which yin and yang spawn. Balance is being.
Purpose
In Western society, we are often pressured to have goals, action plans, purpose. We must define things. Life must have meaning. Things must happen for a reason or be part of some greater architecture. The sage rejects these desires. This is illustrated in an old Chinese tale:
There was a farmer who owned a prize mare and people praised it far and wide. One day his horse turned up missing and his neighbors offered their sympathies to the farmer, to which he replied, “It is what it is.”
A few days passed and the mare returned along with a mighty stallion. The people of his town congratulated him on his good fortune, to which the farmer replied, “It is what it is.”
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