Throughout the first 45 years of my life, my “world view” was European. My understanding of history, culture, politics, and religion derived primarily from Great Britain, France, and Germany. This changed in the late 1980s when a “street poet” researcher at the Marquette University Archives introduced me to the teachings of Lao Tzu. This introduction marked an important step in my spiritual journey.

Confucius and Lao Tzu represent the two great components of Chinese philosophy—rational and mystical. If little is known about the life of Confucius, even less is known about that of Lao Tzu. In fact, it may be that there never was such a person. “Lao Tzu” simply means “Old Man.” A popular legend has it that Lao Tzu was the archivist at the imperial court who, at the age of 80, disillusioned that people would not follow the path of goodness, left China. At the border with Tibet, when a guard asked him to record his teachings, he composed the Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power) in 5,000 characters. Although this story has appeal, it is more likely that the Tao Te Ching has no single author, but rather is a collection of Taoist sayings compiled around 300 BCE.

The Tao Te Ching has an individualistic and mystical quality; it emphasizes what is natural. Four fundamental values are shared: respect for tradition and for one another, acceptance of the natural world rather than dominance, a focus on right conduct and how people can be good, and wisdom—knowing what is important and how to approach achieving it.

The simplicity of “If There Is to Be Peace” touches me. When I become frustrated by day-to-day worries and interactions, Lao Tzu helps me focus on peace in my heart. “The Usefulness of What Is Not” reminds me of the sacred space surrounded by the two interlocking circles which symbolize our UU faith. Jim calls this our “inclusive opportunity space.” As a member of a radically incarnational faith, I am called upon to create meaning and community in this space.

IF THERE IS TO BE PEACE

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.


THE USEFULNESS OF WHAT IS NOT

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
the usefulness of the wheel depends.
We turn clay to make a vessel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
the usefulness of the vessel depends.
We pierce doors and windows to make a house;
And it is on these spaces where there is nothing
the usefulness of the house depends.
Therefore just as we take advantage of what is,
We should recognize the usefulness of what is not.

Believe in Peace, Be Peace, Create Peace,
Chuck Elston