Just go with the flow. It is a phrase I’m sure we have all heard as a small bit of advice. But is it really the best option? When we are faced with a challenge or a hardship, do we just roll with it, or do we actively work to change it? Lao Tzu argued the best option would be to go with the flow. He believed that life was like a downward stream that we all went down on rafts. Additionally, he states that attempting to go upstream would only make you miserable in the process (Austin 384). To put it another way, he is saying to let things come naturally. Is this really the way things should be done though? The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr would argue no. When faced with the challenges of the segregated South, King heard similar words of letting
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In the book Tzu describes “the Tao” or “the Way”, as the “larger whole” of the world that humans are a “small part” of (Austin 384). Adding on to this, he says that “humans cannot change the Way” (Austin 384). By saying this, he is basically asserting that whatever event happens in life, whether big or small, cannot be changed in any way. The Way cannot be reversed or improved. The part of the Tao Te Ching that made the most lasting impression on his readers, summarized by Reading the World editor Michael Austin, is “the world is a great river, and we are all floating on rafts. We can spend our efforts trying to row upstream, making ourselves miserable in the process, or we can relax, make sure that our raft points downstream, and enjoy wherever the river takes us.” (384). Lao Tzu is taking his previous statement on the unchangeable nature of the Tao and taking it one step further, by telling his readers that any attempt to change it will only result in misery. Tzu has written it with a positive …show more content…
In 1963, he along with other members of the SCLC found themselves in Birmingham, Alabama. These protests in Birmingham were highly publicized, and eventually lead to the arrest of Dr. King. He was thrown in jail after continuing to protest despite a local judge ruling it illegal. While in jail, he chose to answer the criticisms of eight of his fellow clergymen who told him that his actions were “unwise and untimely”. (King 426) The now famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail” goes into detail about how King felt that direct action needed to be taken that very moment, that waiting was not an option. In his letter he says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (429). In the context of MLK’s letter, what this means is that the African-Americans, like other oppressed groups in the past, were not given their freedoms after a certain period of time. Dr. King explains his reason for advocating direct action: “Why direct action? … Direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (428). Direct action will bring an issue to the table for those to discuss it. By bringing forth negotiation, an issue can begun to be
In the book Tzu describes “the Tao” or “the Way”, as the “larger whole” of the world that humans are a “small part” of (Austin 384). Adding on to this, he says that “humans cannot change the Way” (Austin 384). By saying this, he is basically asserting that whatever event happens in life, whether big or small, cannot be changed in any way. The Way cannot be reversed or improved. The part of the Tao Te Ching that made the most lasting impression on his readers, summarized by Reading the World editor Michael Austin, is “the world is a great river, and we are all floating on rafts. We can spend our efforts trying to row upstream, making ourselves miserable in the process, or we can relax, make sure that our raft points downstream, and enjoy wherever the river takes us.” (384). Lao Tzu is taking his previous statement on the unchangeable nature of the Tao and taking it one step further, by telling his readers that any attempt to change it will only result in misery. Tzu has written it with a positive …show more content…
In 1963, he along with other members of the SCLC found themselves in Birmingham, Alabama. These protests in Birmingham were highly publicized, and eventually lead to the arrest of Dr. King. He was thrown in jail after continuing to protest despite a local judge ruling it illegal. While in jail, he chose to answer the criticisms of eight of his fellow clergymen who told him that his actions were “unwise and untimely”. (King 426) The now famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail” goes into detail about how King felt that direct action needed to be taken that very moment, that waiting was not an option. In his letter he says “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (429). In the context of MLK’s letter, what this means is that the African-Americans, like other oppressed groups in the past, were not given their freedoms after a certain period of time. Dr. King explains his reason for advocating direct action: “Why direct action? … Direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” (428). Direct action will bring an issue to the table for those to discuss it. By bringing forth negotiation, an issue can begun to be