How to Understand Laotze's Dao De Jing
It is about philosophy, culture and nations' article. Page 3 page 4 Laotze’s the way of ancient times should be similar to the present freedom and democracy in nature. The difference of the both only is that the democracy of the way of ancient times is produced naturally and is influenced and supported by the thought which is formed from that. Laotze is a complete description of this philosophical idea and its political background. Laotze thinks, recalls and describes again and again about the way of ancient times --- natural democracy, and to refute the ideas that destroy his idea for sticking up for his idea of philosophy, when people finds that it, as a form of rule, will fall apart and will disappear completely. “Changing to the reverse direction is the motion of the way, the weak show the use of the way.12” (Anti-democracy promotes the development of democracy. The democracy idea of the people is the use of the way.) Thus Laotze still is filled of confidence for “Acquire the way, which has existed since ancient times, and rein things in reality.13” Modern democracy is “a tremendous artificial product that develops continuously, the product acquires Laotze’s way in the process of which they try wrong. It often is known after events. When a build has been formed, we can realize what we have built in fact.” “We always lose freedom probably, ......moreover, our democratic system walks on a steel wire which is made up of the feedback of ideal idea and realization......and need us to act prudently.14” Here we can say that modern is tremendous artificial product (with experience as basic to copy nature). The former is been destroyed artificially, and the latter is an artificial product that imitates nature. One is the submaersed ancient democracy, the other is the growing modern democracy. The both are consistent completely at pursuing and mantaining the point of political equality. “To view things with too easy way must meet many difficulty, to view things with difficult way, on the contrary, there is no difficult at an end.15” “A journey of thousand miles begins from taking the initial step”, “these who do things usually fail at the verge of success, take care at the end as at the beginning, so dose not lose.16”Laotze give very ardent exhortation to these with carrying out democracy as an aim. It is pity that because they are influenced by Confucianism very deeply, makes progress and innovation never being realized in Chinese history, and being trapped in degenerates in circulation of disorder and punishment. Forturnately are not all like that in the world. Obviously Laotze meets a difficult problem, when people searches for more accurate word than than the way to express the ancient democratic concept. The way may be described or not be described. Could the way be described the way? To change another word, could freedom and democracy be described freedom and democracy? Although this is a thing that its difficult level cann’t be imagined, Laotze still excellently introduce “the way of Chinese Ancient times” (freedom and democracy) into realization from philosophy, politic, ethic, by which people resist the political unequal phenomenon tending to go extreme in Chinese history. No one has no the feeling to resisting political oppression. If people get free from political oppression, must establish correct an idea of freedom and democracy, but to establish correct idea is very difficult, and the modern is still such, people are rather like that more than ancient times. 11 Laotze Chapter 14For expressing accurately what political concept of the way in Chinese history is, he invents profound philosophic thought. He describes his thought process in this way --- “What thing the way substantively is, just like the feeling beyond description, feeling its image in the state, feeling its existence in the state. From the remote ancientry to the present, it is the power to influence history; the power is true and credible, and can be expected. From the ancientry to the present, it looks at history all through. Why do I know the inevitability of history and realization? To all of that, today, if from the political point of view, we explain the way17as the democracy of the way, to the impenetrable wrods, we will be clear by a glance. Don’t say that Laotze’s feeling is beyond explanation about the concept of freedom and democracy, the two are more better than 2300 years ago (2300 years ago is before Qin Dynasty), even doday, a great mass of people still are beyond the explanation about the concept! 12 Laotze Chapter 40 13 Democracy New Theory (in Chinese) Writer: Sartori G. Translator: Feng Keli, Yan Kewen. Press 1998 Page 17 14 Democracy New Theory (in Chinese) Writer: Sartori G. Tranlator: Yan Kewen Fen Keli Pressed in 1998, Page 572 15 Laotze Chapter 63 16 Laotze Chapter 64 17 Laotze Chapter 21 Finally Laotze still finds out the synonym to expressing the concept of democracy, which is not same with the word of democracy to arouse fire accidently to harm itself. Laotze say: “Take no action and the people develop naturally; take quiet, and the people are in order naturally; take nature, the people rich naturally; take no desire, the people are plain naturally.18” Isn’t “The people develop naturally” a subtle synonym of freedom and democracy? “The people develop naturally” clears up the meaning that leads easily the people to go astray, to go extreme and to be compelled with “democracy”, and avoid using “The Name of False the People” to carry out absolutely power.19 In 2300 years after Laotze, appear lots and lots of autocratic rulers. Kings only “pretend to be alone and to be of little worth20” for making false democracy to Window dressing, which shows that monarchies are absolute power and go extreme in history. The Way is only thought as an idea to be cushion for right. . If there were not the idea of the way to keep balance with the idea of kingship which was impowered by the god, it is very hard to imagine the fate of Chinese nation. Many ancient nations disappeared in the world, which is related to absolute power they develop and there is not any ideas to counterbalance it. “The way goes natural, then nothing can’t be done21”makes power weaken; “Do nothing on ruling, then nothing can’t be ruled22”makes power weaken on public opinion; “not to advocate sages23” makes power weaken in organization. They all focus on the aim of “The people develop naturally”; they all make for on weakening the lengthways power structure and carrying out democracy. Sage desires to rule the people, one’s words must be humble to them; sage desires to lead the people, sage’s advantage must be behind people. So, as sage stands in the upper, the people do not feel oppressed; as sage stands in front of them as a leader, the people do not feel behind. So the people under the heaven all support gladly sage and do not feel dislike. Because sage does not contend with the people under the heaven, no one can contend with sage.24” This “all support gladly sage and do not feel dislike” expresses the existence of election system in Chinese ancient democracy system. “Oppressed” and “Behind” are the description of supervision system that is the sprouting condition and from down to up. We always laught at Laotze’s thought of “small countries with few people25”, but “a small country with few people” is the cradle of western democracy idea and system. Every private enterprise in the modern market economy is very similar to Laotze’s “small countries with few people”. But modern small countries’ chiefs are hereditary, and Laotze’s small countries’ chiefs are elected. Laotze’s samll countries are combined with lengthways structure of “ancient kings” the people barely know the existence of them26, “go naturally”, “not contend”. If there would not be these small countries, we can but be confronted with an intricate, terrible monster. ------------------------------- 16.Laotze Chapter 64 17.Laotze Chapter 21 18.Laotze Chapter 57 19.Democracy New Theory (in Chinese) Writer: Sartori G. Page 80 Translateer: Yan Kewen, Feng Keli. 20.Laotze Chapter 39 21.Laotze Chapter 37 22.Laotze Chapter 3 23.Laotze Chapter 3 24.Laotze Chapter 66 25.Laotze Chapter 80 26.Laotze Chapter 17
