When is material desire innocuous and healthy? When is it harmful?
Trying to look at the big picture of consumerism is sobering.
When the world's on the Way,
they use horses to haul manure.
When the world gets off the Way,
they breed warhorses on the common.
The greatest evil: wanting more.
The worst luck: discontent
Greed's the curse of life.
To know enough's enough
is enough to know.
-Lao Tzu (as translated by Ursula K. Le Guin)
The above text is one of my favorite parts of the Tao Te Ching, especially Le Guin's beautiful translation of the last paragraph.
4 comments:
We've been harvesting this world too much. No doubt about that. To fix the problem we are finding ourselves seeking alternative fuels, recycling and overtaxing when the answer to all our problems is within reach.
I say stomach staples and lobotomies for those who disobey my rules.
The easiest solution is always the best. Follow the leader.
yeah, dictatorships are a hell of a lot easier ;) and people love living under them, which would explain their immense popularity ;)
Perhaps we should reconsider the idea of starting a sect as a ways to control people. Perhaps it is best to just take over by force? Or should we start a sect, and use that to take over the world by force? So many choices so many ways to grow the ego... so little time.
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