TAO 30- The War Against Gaia

Those who lead people by following the Tao
don't use weapons to enforce their will.
Using force always leads to unseen troubles.

In the places where armies march,
thorns and briars bloom and grow.
After armies take to war,
bad years must always follow.
The skillful commander
strikes a decisive blow then stops.
When victory is won over the enemy through war
it is not a thing of great pride.
When the battle is over,
arrogance is the new enemy.
War can result when no other alternative is given,
so the one who overcomes an enemy should not dominate them.
The strong always weaken with time.

This is not the way of the Tao.
That which is not of the Tao will soon end.

We are already at war.  Not the military/ social/ religious conflicts we continually perpetrate.  We are not at war with terrorism, or poverty, or red states, or blue states.  We are not at war with our neighbor.

We are at war with Gaia.

Homo sapiens arrogantly think they can win this senseless war, but we are doomed to lose unless we find leadership that understands thermodynamics and homeostasis at a planetary level.

We are on the brink of winning the battle against the carbon cycle.  We have attacked the supply chain and nearly decimated the enemy.  Our victory leaves a wasteland that will never nourish the victors.  Gaia doesn’t care.  When we kill ourselves, She will establish her new balance.  Who wins?

We have ignored the alternative of living in balance with the law of thermodynamics, joyously participating in the gift of dissipation, and finding pride in ownership of our part of the process.

That which we foolishly treasure will perish.

TAO 31- The War Against Gaia Continues

Weapons are the bearers of bad news;
all people should detest them.
The wise man values the left side, and in time of war he values the right.
Weapons are meant for destruction, and thus are avoided by the wise.
Only as a last resort will a wise person use a deadly weapon.

If peace is her true objective how can she rejoice in the victory of war?
Those who rejoice in victory delight in the slaughter of humanity.
Those who resort to violence will never bring peace to the world.
The left side is a place of honor on happy occasions.
The right side is reserved for mourning at a funeral.
When the lieutenants take the left side to prepare for war,
the general should be on the right side, because he knows the outcome will be death.

The death of many should be greeted with great sorrow,
and the victory celebration should honor those who have died.

As we fight the War with Gaia, we need to understand our weapons: the Humvee, the coal fired electrical generators, the mountains of Styrofoam, the excess necessary for economic growth, and the ignorance of the foot soldier to the rules of engagement.  The enemy has no weapons, no grudge, and no agenda.  She has the immutable Law of Thermodynamics: the uberweapon.

Until we fight for peace, we are doomed to a planet knowing only death.  We will not have a victory celebration.

TAO 32- Naming the Nameless

The Tao is nameless and unchanging.
Although it appears insignificant,
nothing in the world can contain it.

If a ruler abides by its principles,
then her people will willingly follow.
Heaven would then reign on earth,
like sweet rain falling on paradise.
People would have no need for laws,
because the law would be written on their hearts.

Naming is a necessity for order,
but naming can not order all things.
Naming often makes things impersonal,
so we should know when naming should end.
Knowing when to stop naming,
you can avoid the pitfall it brings.

All things end in the Tao
just as the small streams and the largest rivers
flow through valleys to the sea.

The concept of Thermodynamics, Entropy, and Enthalpy is a mystery, yet the driving force for life as we understand it.  We name it and strive to understand it, but philosophy and mathematics fail to explain how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Those who begin to grasp it at a deep spiritual level, begin to live in harmony with Gaia, Nature, God, Tao or whatever term you choose.

What we call it and how we describe it is insignificant and only a crutch to participation in the process.  Participation in the process is called harmony.  You can’t describe Thermodynamics.  You can’t write ‘rules to live’ by for Thermodynamics.  You can’t take a photo of it and post on the internet for the world to see.  There are no slick Madison Avenue advertisements to sell it.

You either get it or you don’t.

TAO 33- Knowledge and the Second Law

Those who know others are intelligent;
those who know themselves are truly wise.
Those who master others are strong;
those who master themselves have true power.

Those who know they have enough are truly wealthy.

Those who persist will reach their goal.

Those who keep their course have a strong will.
Those who embrace death will not perish,
but have life everlasting.

Peace, serenity, and harmony come with understanding and living within this knowledge.  Our greatest understanding is that we do not control the universe; the universe controls us.

When we understand the purpose and nature of life- the dissipation of energy according the Law of Thermodynamics- only then will we reach our goal as conscious beings.  Only then will we be true stewards of Gaia.

Maybe there was “life” on Mars, maybe not.  Even a “dead” rock absorbs sunlight and radiates heat.

TAO 34- Creation Exists

The great Tao flows unobstructed in every direction.
All things rely on it to conceive and be born,
and it does not deny even the smallest of creation.

When it has accomplished great wonders,
it does not claim them for itself.
It nourishes infinite worlds,
yet it doesn't seek to master the smallest creature.

Since it is without wants and desires,
it can be considered humble.
All of creation seeks it for refuge
yet it does not seek to master or control.

Because it does not seek greatness;
it is able to accomplish truly great things.

Many believe that their anthropomorphic god, after separating light from dark, touched the mud and created man in man’s image.  Some believe that life evolved from simple chemicals in the primordial ooze to single celled prokaryotes, to eukaryotes, to complex life forms without any outside influence.  Some believe that “an intelligence” designed the complexity of dissipative features.  They are all wrong.

We seek an explanation to the wonders of complexity we observe, yet we already have it within our intellectual grasp.  It is simple.  It doesn’t require an outside magical being, or faith without experience, or something beyond our ability to understand.  It doesn’t require human sacrifice on the alter of science, politics, or religion.  It doesn’t require giving up the joy of myth, culture, or mysticism. 

Creation is the result of the law.  Life is the result of the law. 

The Law of Thermodynamics, the Tao, God, or any other label for the creative process does not demand.  Thermodynamics is humble and uncaring.  It is unchanging, indescribable, has existed since time, and explains all.  It does not seek.  It does not need.  It just is.

TAO 35- Live in Harmony with Gaia

She who follows the way of the Tao
will draw the world to her steps.
She can go without fear of being injured,
because she has found peace and tranquility in her heart.
Where there is music and good food,
people will stop to enjoy it.
But words spoken of the Tao
seem to them boring and stale.
When looked at, there is nothing for them to see.
When listened for, there is nothing for them to hear.
Yet if they put it to use, it would never be exhausted.

When, as individuals or society, we learn to live in harmony with the Law of Thermodynamics and obey-

We will find that our world, Gaia, is everything we expect it to be.

We will be satisfied with participation in this harmony.

We will cease worrying about climate change and the politics.

We will stop exterminating the buffalo.

We will stop to smell the roses.

We can’t legislate bliss.

We can’t force someone to think.

We can only dissipate energy.

TAO 36- Be the TAO/ Be Thermodynamic

If you want something to return to the source,
you must first allow it to spread out.
If you want something to weaken,
you must first allow it to become strong.
If you want something to be removed,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to possess something,
you must first give it away.
This is called the subtle understanding
of how things are meant to be.
The soft and pliable overcomes the hard and inflexible.
Just as fish remain hidden in deep waters,
it is best to keep weapons out of sight.

I have learned that a soft blade of grass will bend to the hurricane.

The old, stiff tree will break under the onslaught.

If we are to protect what is important and live on this speck of sand in the universal beach,

we must let go and let Tao, God, Thermodynamic prevail.

We cannot fight it, we cannot change it; we can only try to understand it.

We don’t live by the Law of Thermodynamics; We are the Law. 

The only survival tactic is to give in

be part of that field of wheat waving in the wind.