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fandomhigh2011-03-01 09:44 am
sake-shinigami.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2011-03-01 09:44 am
The Art of Pacifism; Tuesday, Fifth Period [ 03/01 ].
"Welcome back, my little ducklings ♥." Shunsui smiled upon his students as they settled once more in the their peaceful little ring with their peaceful cups of cocoa. "I hope the break has left you refreshed and cleansed and ready to learn once more ♥. Today, I would like to discuss another text of Eastern philosophy, called Taiping Jing ♥, from the philosophy of Taoism, which has a long tradition of the relationship between humanity and Nature, of compassion, humility, and moderation ♥. I have a terrible time with those last two, myself ♥.
"Anyway, the Taiping Jing deals with a great many subjects: heaven and earth, the five elements, yin and yang, the sexagenary cycle, which is not as dirty as you might think ♥. But the key purpose of the Taiping Jing is to work as a guide to lead us to the era of Great Peace and Equality ♥. The world, you see, is in a terrible state of chaos; there is no cosmic balance! This is evidenced by terrible things such as droughts, floods, famines, epidemics, tsunamis, etc, etc. One can see signs of this imbalance in politics, too, in imperial houses...during the Han dynasty when the Taiping Jing really caught on, it pointed at freakish births, for example, though one can see how it can be applied to any society's blatant ills. Either way, the cosmos are not pleased. Humans have been polluted by their sins and their ancestors' sins, and The Universe reciprocates. For the balance to return, the people must heal themselves and cultivate their inner Tao.
"However, this balance is so very, very delicate that the suffering of one entity is enough to make things out of sync once more. It is a bit of a cycle, then, but a better era can be achieved with the emergence of a new healthy leader, a new Heavenly Mandate and an end to evil omens ♥. But is it realistic? We've had this class long enough for me to know that the majority opinion will be no. I'm curious, though, as always, to your thoughts. The crux of the Taiping Jing is this Heavenly Mandate, this Celestial Leader that will have the power to rally up humanity and lead them on to the Great Peace, an emissary of Heaven to save the elect from demonic forces and lead the world into Harmony...
"If it sounds familiar, it's not at all an unusual belief. There is the Messiah of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, who will return to redeem humanity and lead them into everlasting peace in Heaven. There is Saoshyant, the one who brings the final renewal of the world in Zoroastrianism. There are many, many others, as well; I'm sure you can think of a few yourself.
"But is it realistic? I have been with you long enough to know that the popular response will probably be no. Is it possible, do you think, that one day the chaos of the world can be lead into peace through the guidance of a leader, celestial or otherwise? Is the world too chaotic for such things to ever occur? Does belief in a sort of savior to lead the world into peace give people hope and inspire them to live better and, in their own ways, make life a little more peaceful? Or is more a crutch, something to lean on in the hope that things might one day be better? If it gives a person hope for a better world, can it really be that bad? Many, many questions, of course. Do you have any answers? Or any other questions to add?
"Let's discuss ♥!"
[[ OCDon the way is up! ]]
"Anyway, the Taiping Jing deals with a great many subjects: heaven and earth, the five elements, yin and yang, the sexagenary cycle, which is not as dirty as you might think ♥. But the key purpose of the Taiping Jing is to work as a guide to lead us to the era of Great Peace and Equality ♥. The world, you see, is in a terrible state of chaos; there is no cosmic balance! This is evidenced by terrible things such as droughts, floods, famines, epidemics, tsunamis, etc, etc. One can see signs of this imbalance in politics, too, in imperial houses...during the Han dynasty when the Taiping Jing really caught on, it pointed at freakish births, for example, though one can see how it can be applied to any society's blatant ills. Either way, the cosmos are not pleased. Humans have been polluted by their sins and their ancestors' sins, and The Universe reciprocates. For the balance to return, the people must heal themselves and cultivate their inner Tao.
"However, this balance is so very, very delicate that the suffering of one entity is enough to make things out of sync once more. It is a bit of a cycle, then, but a better era can be achieved with the emergence of a new healthy leader, a new Heavenly Mandate and an end to evil omens ♥. But is it realistic? We've had this class long enough for me to know that the majority opinion will be no. I'm curious, though, as always, to your thoughts. The crux of the Taiping Jing is this Heavenly Mandate, this Celestial Leader that will have the power to rally up humanity and lead them on to the Great Peace, an emissary of Heaven to save the elect from demonic forces and lead the world into Harmony...
"If it sounds familiar, it's not at all an unusual belief. There is the Messiah of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, who will return to redeem humanity and lead them into everlasting peace in Heaven. There is Saoshyant, the one who brings the final renewal of the world in Zoroastrianism. There are many, many others, as well; I'm sure you can think of a few yourself.
"But is it realistic? I have been with you long enough to know that the popular response will probably be no. Is it possible, do you think, that one day the chaos of the world can be lead into peace through the guidance of a leader, celestial or otherwise? Is the world too chaotic for such things to ever occur? Does belief in a sort of savior to lead the world into peace give people hope and inspire them to live better and, in their own ways, make life a little more peaceful? Or is more a crutch, something to lean on in the hope that things might one day be better? If it gives a person hope for a better world, can it really be that bad? Many, many questions, of course. Do you have any answers? Or any other questions to add?
"Let's discuss ♥!"
[[ OCD
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.
Squall tended to have little faith in people.
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.
"Mmmm, so, just because something is unlikely, it isn't worth pursuing, just because it might have the wrong effect on people, am I getting that right, Squall ♥?"
Re: Discuss - AoP, 03/01.