If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach paper right on time.
Out staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach paper at affordable prices!
Michael M. Winburn
Professor Brendan Hogan
Intro. to Philosophy ¨C HUP 101.868
Term Paper ¨C Due Mon 8/11
Cheap Custom Essays on Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach
¡°Discovering The Way In Life¡±
¡°What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence?¡±
That¡¯s one of those questions that seem to defy the perfect answer.In fact, it could be said that the answer to that question can make us or break us.That is, the answer makes us successful in enjoying life or wholly unsuccessful.Yet, ifbeing able to answer this question correctly will enable us to experience a good life, so too then, answering incorrectly will cause anxiety, stress, and take us down roads we¡¯ve had no business traveling¡an no desire to stay on.
Such was the question I had to ask myself last week. While on my way to school from work, I was verbally, and physically attacked by two senior high school students.It was about 515 and a co-worker and I stood on the platform.The train doors opened and lucky for us,seats next to the door were available.
Or, so we thought.
No sooner had we¡¯d takensteps toward the seat then out of nowhere - !! Splat, Splat !! Little green pieces of fruit hit the back of the seat, slid down and landed on the saddle!From directly across the train aisle, two teen-aged girls had begun throwing fruit on the floor, on the seat, and, then threw it NEAR us!
What should I do in this situation that will result in a peaceful existence?We merely looked at them with disbelief¡ obviously they had some problem that we knew nothing about¡ and didn¡¯t want to know about either.With trepidation we merely wiped the fruit from the seats and sat down ¨C they were, as Murphy¡¯s Law would have it of course,the only seats available on the car.
Next thing we know, while talking to each other, suddenly out of nowhere, and without provocation, splat!!!!Splat!!!Fruit was flying and hit us.
The girls obviously noticed our disdain when having looked their direction the girls began to yell ¡°Yeah, and what are you going to do about it¡¡±We will beat your &^%^&$ [rear-ends] !! You and that [European-American Female] you¡¯re with.¡± (European-American ¨C of course - that¡¯s the politically correct term for people whose ancestors came, at point in U.S. History, from Europe.Don¡¯tbe confused by it though, that person no more came from Europe than I came from Africa ¨C but, that¡¯s the society we live in now).I only mention the fact as it seems the nature of the verbal assault was racial.Two brown skinned teens saw a brown skinned man and a fair skinned woman sitting on the train talking¡and the racial slurs abounded!!I¡¯d not heard such foul language, hate, confusion, and delusion since my child hood -when fair skinned Police (Officers of ¡the Law?) would drive by and yell at us shades of brown skinned people us from their State authorized Police Cruisers, ¡°Get out of our neighborhood you &%#$¡±.Of course, perhaps he thought I didn¡¯t live on the ¡°white side of town¡± and his non sequitur was the source of his remark.But after he followed me home one day with his slurs, and then continued his remarks frequently thereafter, I was convinced he was just the wrong person to be working for ¡°The Law¡±.What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence?
The real inner turmoil began when one girl got up a walked toward us ¨C fist in tow and declared, ¡°What are you going to do, I¡¯ll kick your &%$# right now; get up, do something¡don¡¯t just sit there, do something¡.¡±!! Splat , Splat !!!The other girl threw more fruit and some hit my friend in the face¡ and some landed behind me.By now, the entire car of course was now looking our direction¡. Anticipating an outcome.
Okay, I ask you, how do you think I should have responded?Better yet, how would you respond?
The Asian sage nick-named Lao Tzu answers with one of the finest possible solutions that everyone can benefit from.He says in essence, If you want to Discover ¡°The Way¡± of life, you¡¯ll have to understand ¡°The Way of Reversal¡±,prefer ¡°Yin to Yang¡±, and acquire the discipline of the ¡°Action of Doing Nothing¡±.This is the key to every situation where one finds himself or herself posed with the question, ¡°What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence¡±.
According to Douglas J. Soccio, author of the book Archetypes of Wisdom,a Sage is the oldest philosophical archetypal figure who combines religious inspiration and extraordinary insight into the human condition¡The term sage has been used to refer to masters associated with religious traditions, to the wise elders of a group or tribe, and to philosophers whose lives reflect noteworthy integrity, compassion, and courage. The title ¡°sage¡± is historically associated with individuals who manifest a deep, lifelong commitment to learning and teaching that extends beyond an academic interest in living wisely.(6)
I¡¯ve had the great privilege of studying several such ¡°sages¡± under the teaching of the inimitable and inspiring Professor Brendan Hogan while here at New York¡¯s LaGuardia Community College.We acquainted ourselves with Sages ofantiquity like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas, and a few of modernity, like Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and even Jean-Paul Sartre - (if we use the term ¡°sage¡± strictly).Yet, the sage to which I refer precedes them all. He is the bureaucrat in ancient China, known only by a nick name ÀÏ× (Lao Zi5 one name ¨C two ¡°syllables¡±).Translated from Chinese , this means literally, ¡°Father¡±, or ¡°The One who is Old¡±.The ancient colloquialism emends the titles of ¡°Old Master¡±, ¡°Old Man¡±, ¡°Old Boy¡±, or more specifically, the ¡°Old Philosopher¡±.
Like Sartre, whose philosophy of living was derived from his experiences during a time of war, LaoZi compiled one of his greatest works (and the work upon which this paper is based) entitled, µÀµÂ ¾(Dao4 de5Jing1 )at a time of great political and social turmoil known as the Period of the Warring States.During this time, atrocities the likes of the Nazi Holocaust were common place in China.¡°To site one instance,¡± says Soccio, ¡°soldiers from one army were not paid until they showed the paymaster the severed heads of their enemies. Each atrocity was answered with an equal or greater atrocity.¡± (8) It was within this cultural setting that LaoZi, fed up with the result of politics and injustice, wandered out to the western border of his state, riding his water buffalo, away from his bureaucratic position to ¡°search for a place to live a simple life, close to nature and without trouble. With him, he carried his ideas. Live a simple life, be free, be yourself, and be close to nature. Do these things and you will be wise and happy.(Mr. Sage).Before he made his exit, he wrote, (very loosely translated) The Classic of the Way and the Power (Virture), or the writings of ¡®Maps of the Way¡¯.Simply stated, Lao sought to teach anyone who wanted to know, how to find ¡°The Way¡± to live life, so that you may wisely endure, come to be content with, and (for lack of the perfect term) enjoy your journey in this life.
So before we visit briefly the three principals needed for acquiring ¡°The Way¡± lets summarize what exactly is this ¡°Way¡± of which LaoZi alludes to.
Says Soccio, Tao means ¡°way¡± or ¡°path¡± in the sense of ¡°the way to go¡±.Rather than a philosophic system, LaoZi struggles to express a sense of the ultimate underlying great principle, rule, or cause of ¡°the way things are¡±.He appeals to our ¡°natural instincts¡± and intuitions.Tao is, (LaoZi) implies, too rich, too big, and too small, simply ¡°too much¡± to be ¡°trapped¡± by definition, description, or system. (0).In layman¡¯s terms, LaoZi implies the way to be successful at living life in peace and harmony with self, nature, and others, is to find the place of Balance.That is the place where action and in-action reach the solution that causes both the greatest good for all, and the least amount of harm to all¡but more importantly, it is the result of naturally following life¡¯s way.When you reach this ¡°grand Ultimate¡± you have discovered ¡°the Way¡±.It can not be taught anymore than one can teach you what ¡°enjoying a delicious plum¡± tastes like.It cannot be described accurately, for in so doing, words limit your success in describing it.Discovering ¡°The Way¡± (hereafter referred to as Tao) is something one experiences.When you¡¯ve reached it you know it, and no one can share it with you because they cannot experience exactly what you experience at the same time you experience it. Lastly, Tao is sought after in each moment of life¡¯s journey, so one cannot say, ¡°since I have discovered Tao in today¡¯s situation, I will always be on the right path.It¡¯s possible to understand concept of Tao, but through forced choices and too much action, one winds up destroying Tao while reaching for it. Thus, for each, ¡°Tao¡± is different, yet its end is the same Moral Quiet; Peace.
It is not wise to attempt to explain the three principals in great depth.So instead for this paper, I am choosing to explore each on its surface as it relates to the whole concept of Tao.I¡¯m encouraging the reader (s) to be able to quickly grab these principals and put them into ¡°action¡± when opportunity arises to answer the question, ¡°What Should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence?¡±
Don¡¯t these Girls know I¡¯m a disciple of Shi Yan-Ming ¨C 4th Gen. Master of Shao-Lin Kung Fu? Don¡¯t they know that with a decision of the will I could have them strewn across the train - with a wisp of a kick?A twist of a body,an effortless movement of a wrist?Don¡¯t they know I work on week-ends as a Youth Director for some 70 kids in Crown Heights Brooklyn?Don¡¯t they know I¡¯m a Father ofchildren whom I have taught to respect themselves and others? Don¡¯t they know? Don¡¯t they know?Apparently they don¡¯t, and wouldn¡¯t listen to explanations why there actions are not wise.So what exactly should I do in this Situation that will result in a peaceful existence?First of all LaoZi tells us my first requirement is to get a hold of the concept of ¡°The Way of Reversal¡±.
The ¡°reversal¡± is a way of asking us to ¡°reverse¡± how we think we can understand the over arching principal of ¡°Tao¡±.By nature we want to categorize it and explain it, so that we may be able to say, ¡°ah-ha, I have it¡±.But for LaoZi, says Soccio, Tao ¡°is not a concept to grasp cognitively or logically¡ Lao Tzu is not trying to discover something ¡°more real¡± that what appears to our senses [that is obviously apparent right in front of our eyes], but a constant Way behind the changing and conflicting ways of life¡.¡± Instead, if we want to grasp Tao, then sometimes we have to violate our rules and systems if we wish to be decent human beings responsive to the ebb and flow of life teeming around us.¡± (-4).In other words, we can¡¯t just understand what¡¯s going on around us, we¡¯ve got respond at each moment and resonate with the ¡°life¡± going on around us¡ ¡°just beyond the edge of understanding¡±.Stop trying to ¡°get it¡± first, just ¡°be it¡± and there it is found...right in the Balance.How beautifully put as quoted by A.C. Graham,(the foremost Scholar on Daoist Philosophy) in his book Disputers of the Tao
When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty
There arises the recognition of ugliness
When they all know the good as good,
There arises the recognition of evil
Therefore
Being and non-being produce each other;
Difficulty and Easy complete each other
Long and short contrast each other
High and low Distinguish each other
Sound and voice Harmonize each other
Front and Back follow each other
In short, once you¡¯ve understood the need to stop trying to force an understanding upon a situation, and rather experience the situation, you are now on the Way to Tao.The question is, once on the Path, what direction should we take?Great question that LaoZi has an answer.For the next Step in Discovering the Way in Life after understanding the Way of Reversal, is to Prefer the Yin to Yang.
Soccio instructs us, ¡° according to ancient Chinese cosmology, the whole of nature consists of the continual interaction of two opposing forces know as YIN (passive element) and YANG (active element). (5-5)Yin says LaoZi, should be preferred.It can be described as Nothing, Doing Nothing, Ignorance, Female, Empty, Below, After, Still, Small, Weak, soft, Bent.Yang on the other had should be resisted. It is the antithesis of YinSomething, Doing Something, Knowledge, Male, Full, Above, Before, Moving, Big, Strong, hard, Straight.
Lao instructs that both the ¡°good¡± and ¡°bad¡± Yin and Yang exist in everlasting change, and depending on the circumstances its nature changes.Kind of like the episode where the earth is beginning to freeze and everyone is dying left and right because the Sun is somehow moving away from the earth.Only, at the end when the man himself is about to die, he awakes to find he was dreaming.The source of his nightmare was the fact that the same Sun is not moving away, but instead is growing closer to earth and everyone is dying from heat exposure.LaoZi teaches that during times when apparently bad situations force you to answer our question, the best result is reverse your priorities and seek Yin to Yang ¨C for the express purpose of drawing closer to Tao.The balance.
The suggestion is by our forcing situations to fit our perceptions of Good and Bad, just and unjust, we offset the balance and cause more ¡°harm than good¡± if you will.
The result of meeting force with counter force, is the perpetuation of commotion, frustration, and exhaustion.Killing today will result in further killing tomorrow.Yet, if instead one reverses his perceived avenue of action, and instead seeks to just Be Natural (discussed in a moment), then you will further the quest of experiencing Tao.Tao is the way every situation should be played out according to its own game plan ¨C if you will.
So in essence, LaoZi instructs us to achieve Tao, understand ¡°The Way of Reversal¡±, and choose to Select ¡°Yin to Yang¡± as a strategy for successfully weathering storms of life, and then you will naturally understand thelast step that leads to Tao is implementing the discipline of the ¡°Action of Doing Nothing¡±.
Soccio asks an interesting question in his explanation of this Doctrine of Inactionas he calls it.¡°Does Social and Political action really work ¨C or does it result in contest after contest with factions struggling against each other for control.¡± (6)He notes, it seems true to life that all action taken to legislate social order results in a counter force against it.In essence, Soccio and LaoZi indicate what appears to be a truism The more we jump into action to proactively fix things, the more trouble we stir up doing it.
Sounds as if they¡¯re saying that things would turn out better if we just left well enough along and didn¡¯t get involved!!!But this is an erroneous thinking.The key can be found in the term thought of being Pro Active versus Spontaneous.
LaoZi in short espouses that it¡¯s the Pro Active acts (designed to force an end to a situation we perceive will be happening) that ultimately deters people from walking according to the natural path of Tao.Natural of course meaning a healthy, spontaneous reaction that is already within us, and when we act according to our ¡°natural way¡± we resonate with Tao, and in-so-doing the result will be ¡the unforced natural right result.
¡°The Sage¡±, says Soccio, ¡° in such cases, is moved by natural inclinations, which are responses to what he perceives and to his own reactions to what he perceives.He does not need to figure out, or reason that striking someone for being annoying is wrong, because ( by resonating his nature with Tao) he sees the quality of such behavior and the motivations that trigger it. Being uncorrupted by artificial desires and needs himself, the sages¡¯ spontaneous responses are reliable, healthy, and in harmony with Tao¡He doesn¡¯t preach a sermon, he lives a sermon¡± (8)
¡°Wow !! sounds fascinating in concept but what¡¯s the use?¡± one could askTao properly understood will have us face a difficult situation and acting according to the right way ¨C naturally.Not after much contrived reasoning. No, no, not that the sage does not act with careful thought, instead what flows out of his careful, healthy thoughts is spontaneous helpful actions.In a Patrol car in an all ¡°white¡± neighborhood, a police man yells out his window at a black 8th grader, ¡°get out of our neighborhood you(%$(^$%)¡¡±A Partner in the car, on his journey of life seeking Tao, will spontaneously smack his partner in the back of the neck and say, ¡° what¡¯s wrong with you man¡.¡± Not giving regard to how his actions of doing naturally right will result for himself personally.The result of that natural act says LaoZi, is indeed the natural result, and you will be at Peace.Yet conversely, if that same Partner, deliberates over his action, considers he may (or may not) become an outcast on the force.Every moment slipping away from the incident he slips further away from Tao, till in the end, his ¡°Action¡± of deliberating has caused ¡further unnatural turmoil, frustration, stress.
Had he practiced the discipline of the ¡°Action of Doing Nothing¡± he would have found peace.
So then how do we appropriate the value of Tao into our lives?Perhaps like Confucius.
Some years before, a young man nervously walked up to the great scholar, or man of ideas, and keeper of the library in the capital city.
The scholar was Lao-tzu, the most respected thinker of his day. And the young man was Confucius. Confucius spoke about his duty to make the lives of the people better. Lao-tzu answered Just like mosquitoes will keep you awake all night, this talk about duty to your fellow man drives me crazy. Don¡¯t worry about it! Just try to keep your world as simple as possible. Remember--just like the wind blows whenever and wherever it wants to, good times will come and sometime and somewhere. Be natural. Go with the wind.
Don¡¯t these Girls know I¡¯m a disciple of Shi Yan-Ming ¨C 4th Gen. Master of Shao-Lin Kung Fu? Don¡¯t they know that with a decision of the will I could have them strewn across the train - with a wisp of a kick?A twist of a body,an effortless movement of a wrist?Don¡¯t they know I work on week-ends as a Youth Director for some 70 kids in Crown Heights Brooklyn?Don¡¯t they know I¡¯m a Father ofchildren whom I have taught to respect themselves and others? Don¡¯t they know? Don¡¯t they know?Apparently they didn¡¯t, and didn¡¯t listen to explanations why there actions are not wise.So what exactly did I do in this Situation that results in a peaceful existence?
As the one girl came roaring at my friend and co-worker with sheer evil in her eye and aggression in her intent, and the other in front ofme yelling at the top of her lungs, and the whole train a gasp, I practiced the Doctrine of Inaction ¨C I acted naturally¡ I stood up swiftly from my chair lifted one arm to stop the other girl and pushed her backwards; I pointed at the other -in front of me - and shouted, ¡°Stop¡±.The whole train sat rapt ¡ the moment seemed to last for hours, but what came out of my mouth I will never forget¡I am glad it did¡and perhaps later in life, they will be too.I declared, ¡° Never forget today.For right now, you have not received what you very well deserve¡±.Silence for another few moments.
Ding.The doors opened, and off we got. It was our stop. Coincidence? Not so says LaoZi, it was the Way.It was the Action of Doing Nothing.It was definitely Reversal.It was uncontrived Yin in the urge of Yang¡.A Moment of pure beauty¡.a moment of Moral Peace. It was at once, Tao.
A scene Hollywood would have quite the difficulty recreating.
Please note that this sample paper on Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach, we are here to assist you.Your cheap custom college paper on Discovering the Way to Life - A Philosophical Approach will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.
Order your authentic assignment and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete a quality custom paper within the shortest time possible!
