Summary and Conclusion (Lao Tzu)

First Lao Tzu perceives the philosophical problem which is the natural disorder and this disorder is the interfering of the people on the way of nature. He considered it as a problem because the way of nature is destroyed because of the interference of the human actions. The absence of the way of nature makes things not in its proper order.  Second Lao Tzu revealed the assumptions for the solution which can be seen in the Nature of opposites, Tao as the origin, Essence of the Tao, Expression of the Tao and The Virtue (Te). In the nature of opposite, the opposite of each thing makes our world balance because opposites complement each other. In the Tao as the origin, Lao Tzu said that the Tao alone should always be followed. Tao makes things on its proper order or it let things to work what things should naturally be. In the essence of Tao, there are two main points, the emptiness and the openness. In the emptiness, it is more likely good to be empty because when it is empty, there is something to fill in; emptiness is always open to new possibilities because being empty means having the capability to learn things. In openness, the Tao is always present to anyone and to anything and it does not choose whom it will side because it considers all as equal. In the Expression of Tao, there are two main points, the weakness and humility. In weakness, it is considered good to be weak because to be weak is not a threat to others and you will not be noticed and when one is not noticed he don’t need to reveal or prove himself and namelessness should be practiced in Taoism. We can see humility in the line “Therefore the sage knows himself but makes no show, has self-respect but is not arrogant.” It is said in this part that the sage knows himself but makes no show, it means that the sage knows many things but he make no show because he don’t want to have fame or he really don’t want to be known because the sage is humble and don’t want to be notice or recognize. ‘He has self-respect but is not arrogant’, this part also shows that the sage is also humble and not arrogant. He knew himself well and knew good things about himself but he doesn’t brag about it and boast about it because as I have said, the sage don’t want to be noticed or don’t want to be recognized. In the virtue or te, virtue is always accompanied by Tao or both Tao and virtue is one because the virtue is to become one with the nature and not doing a thing to prove yourself.

Third Lao Tzu characterizes the sage. He characterized the sage as the one who don’t desire, being spontaneous and having the character of humility. The character of having no desire means not acquiring things to prove yourself. Having no desire means letting the way of nature work on things and letting it do what naturally things will be. In spontaneity, things will never cease to become because it is the way of nature that making things who or what they really are and it will not stop and only because the interference of human that makes things stop and not work but when there is only the way of nature, things will be according to what they are. Lastly is that the sage has the character of humility and the characteristic of being humane is seen in Tao Te Ching 72, especially in the line “Therefore the sage knows himself but makes no show, has self-respect but is not arrogant.”. It is said in this part that the sage knows himself but makes no show, it means that the sage knows many things but he make no show because he don’t want to have fame or he really don’t want to be known because the sage is humble and don’t want to be notice or recognize. ‘He has self-respect but is not arrogant’, this part also shows that the sage is also humble and not arrogant. He knew himself well and knew good things about himself but he doesn’t brag about it and boast about it because as I have said, the sage don’t want to be noticed or don’t want to be recognized.

Fourth Lao Tzu lays out the steps for the development of the sage which is the unlearning and the non-action. In the unlearning when knowing things, you should not hurry yourself because when you hurry yourself, the more you will not know things. Knowing comes naturally, it doesn’t come when you are conscious about it, you will not able to sustain it. For example, when studying, when you force yourself to study, it is when you will know little things but when you let yourself relax and not think about it, it is the time when things will flow to your mind and realize things.  It is when you force things, it doesn’t happen. . In non-action, you will achieve your goal when not over doing things and just wait for the proper time and just let things on its own. When starting a thing without doing, it is when you realize that you have accomplished what you have done. For example, when growing a tree, when you will not notice it every day and just letting it grow by itself, you will be surprised someday that the seed you have planted, grows so tall and healthy. While when you notice it every day, water it every day, you will be surprised that it died and did not grow. In non-action, you will not notice that you accomplish a thing, without doing a thing. Sometimes, not doing a thing is the best thing to be done, because when you do things in a hurry, it is when it will have bad result or no result at all.

And Lastly Lao Tzu specifies the solution to the problem which is becoming a philosopher king and being a philosopher king means being a sage. The sage follows the way of nature and I came up to the idea that the philosophy of Lao Tzu is that one must follow the way of Nature. Following the way of nature means letting things do by its own because it is when you do things that things are done. When starting a thing without doing, it is when you realize that you have accomplished what you have done. For example, when growing a tree, when you will not notice it every day and just let it grow by itself, you will be surprised someday that the seed you have planted, grows so tall and healthy. While when you notice it every day, water it every day, you will be surprised that it died and did not grow. You will not notice that you accomplish a thing, without doing a thing. Sometimes, not doing a thing is the best thing to be done, because when you do things in a hurry, it is when it will have bad result or no result at all.

 The way of nature is the best way to follow because when one interferes on the way of nature it will ruin the natural set of things. Too much involvement of human also ruined what is natural, like before when the Tao flows on earth, living things live peacefully and with harmony, but when people or human interest for too much money and wealth, the digging of the earth starts, just to get the gold and other minerals, and living things starts to die because their habitat is gone and the resources starts to deplete. When the way of nature if flowing, things are on its natural and proper order until only when man interferes that made things not on its proper order and things became improper like in the Tao Te Ching 39 (Second Paragraph) When man interferes with the Tao, The sky becomes filthy, the earth becomes depleted, the equilibrium crumbles, creatures become extinct. This statement is true because when there is only the way of nature, flow of harmony is balance and there is nothing ruining the sky but because of man, the sky becomes filthy because of their different innovations, like the chemical that the planes emit and the smoke coming from the factories. When man interferes with the way of nature, the earth becomes depleted. This statement is true because the earth is solid and whole when only the way of nature is flowing in the earth but when the man interferes; the earth becomes depleted because of man’s different activities, like mining, drilling and some activities that involve getting or destroying the earth.

In mastering things, it is also best that letting the way of nature makes you a master in different skills, like in the Tao Te Ching 48 (Second Part) ‘True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It can’t be gained by interfering’. When you are learning something, you cannot learn what you are trying to learn when you will do it fast because you want to learn fast. You will not master what you are trying to learn because you cannot master something in just a short span of time because mastering something needs time, patience and effort. While when you are patient learning it and letting time run by it self, you will eventually master and learn it in its true way. While when you learn it in a fast way, you cannot master it because as I have said, mastering something needs time and patience.

When the way of nature is prevailing in the world things will be according to what they should be, like in the Tao Te Ching 46 ‘When Tao prevails in the world, galloping horses are turned back fertilize the fields with their dung. When Tao does not prevail in the world, war horses thrive in the suburbs. When way of nature prevails in the world, galloping horses are turned back fertilize the fields with their dung, horses are in farms and being used by the farmers or ranchers. It is like, when the way of nature is prevailing, men are with their families and attending their family needs. But when the way of nature is interfered, war horses thrive in the suburbs; horses are no longer in farm and ranches. It is also like men who are no longer with their families and cannot attend to their families because of war, and because of war, you can almost see them in their designated area, protecting all possible entries and we can see if only the way of nature is prevailing, things will be on their proper order and live a harmonious lives. It is to follow the way of nature because the problem is the too much interference of man and Lao Tzu wants things to go back to its original way which is the way of nature. Therefore the way of nature is the philosophy of Lao Tzu as demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy.