“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” Throughout his writings and primarily the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu is constantly outlining thoughts on self and a kind of empowerment that leads you to the Tao which is the supreme state of being in Taoism. Tao is “the basic, eternal principal of the universe that transcends reality and is the source of being, non-being, and change.” (1) As I said before, in Taoism the art of following the Tao is the key to supreme living. Being that the Tao Te Ching is the basis for Taoism it is apparent that Lao Tzu backed up his thoughts sufficiently to persuade many to follow him. However because of the quote I chose I will focus primarily on the concept of self. The main concepts of Taoism as I took it in were of love, and understanding yourself. This is one of the more significant historical works of Eastern philosophy. Many of the core ideas of Taoism still exist in today’s culture, self-empowerment, love over all else, inner and outer peace and so forth. It led the eastern world to understand themselves then and as I said remains relatively current when it comes to understanding yourself now. But how true is this quote, looking at the crazier leaders throughout history, they share many personality traits; one of the biggest similarities however is an insecurity that cascades throughout their life. This may be a bold statement but if Adolf Hitler would have gotten accepted into the Paris school of Art, the holocaust wouldn’t have happened. Life takes turns but when you understand yourself and are confident in what or who you are that insecurity does not exist, and that will make you more powerful than a man who does not.
Works Cited
(1) "Tao - definition of Tao by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tao
Cited: (1) "Tao - definition of Tao by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tao
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