Introduction

Lao Tzu was a Chinese who was born with white hair in a place called Luoyang. His initial name was Li Erh, but he acquired the name Lao Tzu because of his hair. He worked at the King of Zhou’s palace as a custodian of the royally archives. Lao Tzu acquired other names such as Senior Lord Li, Emperor Xuanyuan, Loa Tse and Shengzu, which was used by his temple mates. His job gave him the opportunity to gain immense knowledge, which assisted him in his wisdom and attitude. When Lao Tzu reached eighty, he quit his job and embarked on a journey to the desert because he was not getting the self-satisfaction he wanted. He was depressed by the life, which the people around him lived. According to Lao Tzu, the men did not follow the rules needed to attain natural righteousness. The scrolls he read while at the palace gave him another perspective of life, which he believed, was righteous. He wrote a book called Tao Te Ching, which gave insight on Lao Tzu’s wisdom. Through Lao Tzu’s teachings, his understanding of natural righteousness is revealed.

How Lao Tzu Would Criticize the Society we Live in

Lao Tzu uses the word ‘sage’ to refer to the idealistic man. According to Lao’s teaching’s, human beings are able to alter their life because they have wishes and free will. Their unnatural acts usually upset the natural equilibrium portrayed in the teachings; consequently, humans do not possess any particular place in the Tao, which had become a religious conviction. The doctrine aims at leading people back to the righteous path.

The current society is one that embraces technology. Everyday people come up with new ideas and methods of making life easier or better. Lao Tzu teaches that technology is not a suitable tool to measure the progress of the human race; it only brings false logic to those who value it. Lao Tzu does not discard technology; however, he comments on the negative aspect of technology. He wants human beings to be free from physical and emotional desires. He thinks that technology is a product of the desires of men; therefore, he wants people to have calm state, which will free them from having unnecessary desires. He does wants people to leave nature as it is; moreover, they should make minimal alterations to nature because it is sacred. Humans should learn to appreciate nature the way it is, and not to think of ways to make alterations.

The modern life requires one to be educated to live an excellent life. Many rulers have invested in education systems that offer quality education, because they want people to come up with a variety of methods that will help to improve global economy.  However, Lao Tzu’s teaching advices rulers to encourage simplicity among their people (Lao-tzu and Soho 62).

. He wants rulers to discourage complexity in people’s minds. Currently, politicians take part in wars, yet Lao discourages such phenomena. Lao also teaches that strength should not be acquired through forceful deeds. He also discourages harsh laws and unreasonable taxes because they are not a symbol of humility; moreover, Lao thinks that these acts are forceful methods of revealing the strength of the leaders.

The modern world encourages people to work hard to achieve their dreams. Lao thinks that fulfilling a goal gives humans short-lived happiness because with time, they will develop a new desire, which will make the struggle more. He claims that those who follow the Taoist doctrine live a stress free life because they are content with what nature has to offer.

What Lao Tzu would recommend as worthwhile behavior

Lao encourages humans to be selfless. They should not be competitive, and their deeds should not focus on seeking praises. They should learn to do favors for others without expecting profits or personal gain. Their actions should not go beyond what is required. He also teaches people not to boast because the act encourages contention; in addition, he tells people that it is wrong to admire people because of their achievements. He thinks that peoples’ achievements may be short lived; hence, admiration could turn to hatred. Lao urges individuals should work to benefit other people. Humans need to be selfless so that they can be able to disregard personal gains in all their endeavors. Humans should not hit back at those who betray them, or those who are unfaithful; instead, they should be polite to those who do wrong (Chia and Huang 11). He also teaches that humans should tackle problems when they are still comprehensible; in addition, we should not wait for problems to become complex to solve them. We should not look down on basic matters; instead, we should treat them and difficult ones so that we are able to tackle the intricate ones. People should not brag about their skill in tackling problems. They should find fault in themselves because they were not able to prevent problems. The other example would be in offering leadership the opportunity to present the solutions without taking credit for the deeds. Individuals in society are encouraged to become reliable and work towards creating a better society. This is accorded in presenting righteous behavior to individuals and delivering service to the people without justifying the deed. A common example would be in politics that drives egoistic attitudes among contributors. Politicians fail to realize the need to offer service without the financial returns associated with the discipline. Leadership should be developed based on organization and examples as compared to depicting characters to followers. This would be a worthwhile behavior according to Lao Tzu’s concept.

What Lao would condemn

The modern society encourages competition because it acts as a tactic of improving the lives of the human race. People work hard so that their efforts may be recognized; consequently, they receive gifts and promotions through recognition. Lao discourages this behavior because it makes people struggle throughout their lives since the happiness, which is brought by recognition, is not long lasting (Mosley 7). He also condemns the habit of working for self interests because people forget the value of the work done, and focus on obtaining personal gains. When people stop focusing on the value of work done, they end up losing the desirable quality of the work.

Conclusion

It is difficult to argue against Lao’s critique because his teachings are still relevant in the modern society. The society discourages humans from confronting each other. We are expected to live in harmony with each other; moreover, the society urges every leader to maintain peace among their people. It discourages wars and urges leaders to engage in peace talks to solve problems. Competition among individuals is not healthy because everyone has different abilities. We should compete with ourselves to gain self worth. There are conflicts among people and societies in the modern world because both parties lack self appreciation. Individuals grade their abilities according to what other people can do. Everyone works to gain favor; consequently, people drive their attention to the rewards of the task and not the quality of the task. People engage in activities that are beyond their abilities. Therefore, they develop stress and terminal illnesses. It is also difficult to argue against the critiques because the teachings are not in favor of any religious group. The teachings are appreciated and advocated for by all religions.

References

Chia, Mantak and Huang, Tao. The Secret Teachings of The Tao Te Ching. Thailand: Inner

Traditions/Bear & Co., Print. Page 11.

Lao-tzu and Soho Takuan. Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic. Boston:

Shambhala Publications, Inc, 2010. Print. Page 72.

Mosley, Stephen. Tao Teh Ching / Lao Tzu. Joy: The Journal of Yoga, 2005. Web. 24 Sept 2012.

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