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Since the show is "finished" (for now), the Patreon site is no longer active. However, there are still hosting costs, and I still have expenses! If you would like to show gratitude with a small donation in a very easy way, you can do so at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crttc. No account creation required!
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After two and a half years, we've reached the very last episode of the Tao te Ching! I'm not sure what's next for me, but at least for now, I'll stop regular posting here as I focus on some other pressing things in life and brainstorm possible future ideas.
This chapter is a nice summary of three of the key themes of the Tao te Ching that we've focused on in these last few years:
1. Wisdom over learning
2. Using too many words
3. The selfless ideal
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Chapter 80 presents Lao Tzu's vision of the ideal society, the "Taoist utopia". Although it is not a "realistic" picture at first glance, writing it off would be a big mistake. The chapter not only praises minimalism and simple living, but also contains a thinly veiled but cutting cultural critique that is just as relevant today as it was 2600 years ago.
1. The simple life - minimalism and Christian activist Shane Claiborne's "Irresistible Revolution"
2. The cultural critique - overpopulation, overdevelopment, industrialization, and insatiable desires
3. A clarification - is this chapter really idolizing a boring, antisocial life?
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We're skipping chapter 78 since we looked at it all the way back in episode 6! Chapter 79 is focused on the complex repercussions of human conflict. This is a shorter episode, and I'll split it into just two pieces:
1. "Just let it go" - conflict resolution the Taoist way
2. Peace is worth the risk - Christ as the ultimate example
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Chapter 77 describes the Tao as being like the drawing of a bow, where the top is brought down and the bottom is brought up. It is a cultural critique about how the way of man tends to upset the natural balance of things. The episode will have three general thematic movements:
1. Equilibrium and balance in the universe and in our lives
2. The "Robin Hood effect" - taking from the rich and giving to the poor
3. Lao Tzu's static equilibrium versus Christ's redemptive restoration
Here's the blog entry I quote from: https://www.coreyfarr.com/post/extreme-makeover-eden-edition
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Chapter 76 takes us back to the familiar territory of "weakness" that is actually strength. Living things are soft, supple, flexible, and "weak". Dead things are hard, brittle, rigid, and "strong". I'll start this episode by sharing about one of the most influential - and meek - men I've ever known. Then we'll break it up into two basic sections:
1. Meekness and humility as true strength
2. Adaptability as the key to life
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In this episode, we look at chapter 75, which critiques the greedy leadership of Lao Tzu's China or any government in general. I'll start with reading from Jesus's parable of the foolish rich man as well as his famous words on "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The rest of the episode is pretty simply divided into two parts:
1. Greed in leadership
2. Greed in in general terms in our daily lives and the dangers of greed creeping up on us as we start to accumulate even a little bit of extra money
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Doruk Cansev is a life coach and author of the book Balanced: Unleashing the Power of your Personality, which I used as the inspiration for the structure of episode 59. I also covered my notes on his book much more in-depth on the most recent Patreon members exclusive episode. Today we discuss Taoism a bit, but we dive deep into his books and discuss finding balance in all areas of your life.
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In this episode, we look at chapter 74, which is a bit different in tone and content than other chapters around it. The central focus is the fear of death, and the central metaphor is the "Master Executioner" - whose job we should not try to take. We'll look at a literal interpretation first, followed by a more spiritualized/metaphorical one.
1. The death penalty - Lao Tzu and Shane Claiborne
2. Fear and judgment in religion
3. Do not judge others
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Here's an outline to help follow this complex episode!
Today we'll look at chapter 73, which seems a bit disconnected and confusing at first (which is why it took me two extra weeks to prepare). We'll touch on a few side topics, then we'll spend the majority of the book relating this chapter's idea of perfect wu wei to the seven areas of balance identified by independent author Doruk Cansev in his new book Balanced: Unleash the Power of your Personality.
You can find Doruk's book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09157T1MH/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
1. The Tao as DNA of the universe
2. Balancing courage with caution - the spectra of Liveliness (aware and passionate) and Self-esteem (humble and confident)
3. The Tao does not strive/compete/wage war yet it always overcomes/wins/conquers - the spectra of Tension (calm and active)
4. The Tao does not speak yet it always responds - the spectrum of Warmth (loving and independent)
5. The Tao does not ask/command yet it is always obeyed/supplied with its needs - the spectrum of Agreeableness (compassionate and assertive)
6. Marshall Davis on God as relationally wu-wei and perfectly balanced
7. The Tao is relaxed/seems to have no aim yet it is good at making plans/its purpose is fulfilled - the spectra of Openness to change (flexible and focused) Perfectionism (relaxed and disciplined)
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Chapter 72 doesn't really offer an obvious interpretation at the first reading. The variations between translations and the disjunctions between the sections makes it a bit complex. Fortunately, there is a common theme that the most traditional interpretations tend to agree on, and then as always we will take a bit of liberty and move in a more creative and relatable direction. I start the episode sharing some thoughts about fear as a basic emotion and my own experience with panic attacks, then I work through the chapter from two approaches:
1. Leaders should not use fear as a motivation - heavy-handed and authoritarian leadership based on intimidation or control is dangerous and unhealthy
2. A religion without fear? What could it look like to remove "fear" from our theological vocabulary?
Here's my article on why I don't believe in hell that I mention briefly: https://www.coreyfarr.com/post/i-don-t-believe-in-hell-does-that-mean-i-m-going-thereSee more at www.coreyfarr.com
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Chapter 71 is cryptic, obscure, and one of my absolute favorites. This chapter continues the theme on knowledge from the previous chapter, but focuses especially on ignorance - the fact that we are all ignorant in so many ways, and that not knowing that we don't really know is not just bad, it's a spiritual sickness. I open with a confession of my own ignorance, then divide my interpretation into three sections:
1. Simple knowledge and personal development - Know how much you don't know, or you will stagnate
2. Social/relational knowledge in a world of information-overload, echo chambers, polarization, and confirmation bias
3. The spiritual dimension - I draw in a few passages to show the Bible's ambivalent stance on "knowledge", and then do a short analysis of the book of Ecclesiastes as sort of a Taoist confession/tract/autobiography. This is my personal favorite part!
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In this episode, we look at chapter 70, which is one of the most depressing and least didactic/informative chapters in the Tao te Ching (which is why it took me an extra week to prepare this). Here we have Lao Tzu break into a quasi-lament on how no one understands him or follows his teachings, despite how simple they are to understand. With some careful maneuvering, I think we can actually find some parallels to the "simple" yet difficult teachings of Jesus about the narrow way to the Kingdom of Heaven.
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In this episode, we look at chapter 69, which is incredibly tough to deal with since it is primarily focused on giving advice to military generals. As a Jesus-follower committed to nonviolence, I didn't know what to do with it at first, but with some clever maneuvering and use of paraphrases, I was able to bring it around to something more Christlike.
1. Literally analyzing the chapter - Lao Tzu's "almost" non-violent military strategy
2. Losing the three jewels
3. Honoring the image of God in our "enemies"
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In this episode, we look at the famous chapter 67, where Lao Tzu presents the "Three Jewels" - the entire Taoist ethics summed up in three words: compassion, moderation, and humility. I'll start by sharing about how Christ's compassion demonstrates the compassion that God built into the way the universe works and the way people work. Then we'll look at each of the three jewels one by one:
1. The countercultural nature of the Three Jewels
2. Compassion as the source of bravery
3. Moderation as the source of generosity
4. Humility as the source of leadershipSee more at www.coreyfarr.com
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In this episode, we look at chapters 66 and 68, which continue the train of thought of non-contention and wu wei that we started last week, but this time in relation to leadership. I'll start with talking about the characteristics of servant leadership, then focus on the chapters one by one:
1. Chapter 66 - the best leaders take the attitudes of servants and "lead from behind"
2. Chapter 68 - the attitude of non-contention and mutually beneficial "competition"
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Sorry for no episode this week. I was down for the count with the flu last week. (Not COVID!) Head on over and subscribe at the Patreon page to get early access to the next episode. :)
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In this episode, we look at chapter 63, which is all about tasks and problems. I'll start by talking about how learning how to break big tasks into small pieces has radically transformed my life, then we'll break down the chapter into two main sections:
1. A "mini-sermon" on wu wei (action without action) through a series of paradoxes
2. The active/decisive side of wu wei, or "the path of least resistance"
- Lessons from the universe
- The path of the wise man
- A warning against underestimating the difficulties of problems
- "The great secret" to an effective lifeSee more at www.coreyfarr.com
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In this episode, we look at chapter 62, which is one of the only chapters where Lao Tzu compares good and bad people and the ONLY chapter where he uses a word often translated as "sin". I'll start by talking about how radically countercultural and even offensive Jesus's teachings of enemy-love are in the Middle Eastern culture I work in, then we'll take a look at three aspects of this chapter:
The Tao (and Christ) as treasure to the good and refuge to the badDo not abandon a bad person (and what even IS a bad person?)Hopeful universalism - a great motivation to spread the love of ChristSee more at www.coreyfarr.com
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