Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Tao - significance&addition

The aspect of the Tao that is the most significant is ‘The Law of General Beneficence’, including both negative and positive guidelines. These statements are the ideal teachings to live by. In the negative section, the Tao references back to Ancient time periods to emphasize what one should never do. The Tao suggests that we should never murder or even hurt another person whether it is physically or emotionally. The Law of General Beneficence also incorporates a positive way to practice benevolence. Babylonians said, “speak kindness … show goodwill”. This is a perfectly clear example of what is expected of every human being. The Tao also says we should love our friends and our enemies as much as we do ourselves. In conclusion, the Golden Rule is inserted which is derived from Christianity: “Treat others the way you want to be treated. These guidelines are most important, because we can strive towards moral perfection and ultimately all the other values listed will just come naturally to us.

One notion that should be added to the Tao is the concept of Duties to Women. The Tao makes it a point to pay homage to our elders and respect our children, however duties to women is just as significant, if not more. Women create men; women have the gift to create these ‘elders’ and the future generations. Women bear the agonizing process of giving birth to give new life, thus these elders and children should be extremely grateful for the gift of life. Included in paying homage to women is respecting them and not taking advantage of them. Men tend to view women as weak and they use that to degrade women. Women need to be acknowledged more by the opposite sex and their kids (sometimes).

No comments: