Intersubjectivi-TAO

The sage has no fixed (personal) ideas.

He regards the people’s ideas as his own.

I treat those who are good with goodness,

And I also treat those who are not good with goodness.

Thus goodness is attained.

I am honest to those who are honest,

And I am also honest to those who are not honest.

Thus honesty is attained.

The sage, in the government of his empire, has no subjective viewpoint.

His mind forms a harmonious whole with that of his people.

They all lend their eyes and ears, and he treats them all as infants (Tao Te Ching, 49)

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If I am only good to those who are good to me, is it really goodness? Or if I am only honest to those who are honest to me, am I really advocating honesty? As how Confucius would say: "Do to others what you want them to do to you". Now what about if they will not do it to me, does this one suggests that I must stop in doing it to them?

People nowadays somehow advances this kind of mentality: Like people only become friends when both of them has the same enemy. Or people would only give if they already have enough for themselves (They would give only when they are already given). Or people would choose to be loved first before they would try to love. It's like opening the door of goodness, yet in a solipsistic way that only those who are good can enter. Why not open it thoroughly? Because if it's not the case then, it is no better than being closed. 

Yes, as a human being, it is common to us to have personal biases and preferences that we sense out as something beneficial to ourselves, and nothing more. But also, as a human being, we are inherently called to be responsible for others. Others, not only of our own kind (e.g. religion), but to all that is outside of our self. For everyone and everything, no matter who that person is, or what is his/her history, or how undeserving he/she is, deserves to be looked upon; to be preferred over than one's self. Yes, you may say it's somehow too idealistic; it's kind'a hard to establish such, but to be true, it is not impossible. It may be difficult and may involve a lot of sophisticated tasks, but again, it is not impossible.

Like what it was said in the texts above (Tao Te Ching 49): "no subjective viewpoint, just a harmonious whole". Then again, Lao Tzu suggests that we must promote no subjectivity, but rather INTERsubjectivity, where all of us, good or bad, shares the same universal bias and preference with each other, without anyone who is left behind. In that way, we are living with the Tao.

(02/04/15)