Taoism and Existentialism

Taoism and Existentialism are very different philosophies that spawn ironically similar attitudes. As I an example, I will use the Stranger. In the Stranger, Meursault exhibits an equanimity to which there is no equal. Nearly nothing really phases him, other than being physically uncomfortable, and a lot of things fascinate him. He likes to sleep and pass his time relaxing. Nothing gets him down. Taoism preaches a great equanimity as well. It seems to support inquisitive but gentle minds, and revels in relaxation and satisfaction. It is ironic to me, that two philosophies founded on very different ideas at very different times, have created such similar attitudes towards life. A true existentialist has great equanimity because he feels that life is absurd, and there is nothing after it. Life has no meaning, emotion has no meaning, and morals have no meaning, so why let the little things get you down, or become overly emotional about day to day life? In contrast, a follower of the Tao does his best to manifest the Tao through equanimity because peace and harmony are the way of the world. He does not become upset because gentle and steadfast behavior beget steadfast and gentle results. He relaxes to enjoy the day, he is satisfied because life is full of satisfaction and happiness, if you only stop to enjoy it. Completely different motives spawn incredibly similar attitudes. The attitudes are not the same, there are differences. An existentialist has no problem with immorality or greed, while a Taoist does. The only way you might confuse the two really, is if you only examined their everyday habits and demeanors. So really, in either case, do the ends justify the means?

The Uncarved Block

There are many interpretations of the 'uncarved block' at least, I suppose that there are, and at one point I truly struggled with the concept. But humans have a tendency to simply maneuver around phrases they do not understand, look at them from behind, and spin them so the light in one's mind hits it just right. Before, I took the saying at face value. Uncarved, meaning unspecialized, unused, blank, in a sense. But this did not really work, because such a state is impossible. Even with no personal or outside influence, a human is still carved to be a human. As well, if such a meaning were true then the author of the book that inspired me to read the Toa Te Ching is a hypocrite. Based on the Te of Piglet he is anyway, but I did not quite know this yet. In any case, at some point I realized that the uncarved block is not unattainable, because the uncarved block does not mean a lack of shaping, but rather a lack of definition. For instance, I may know a whole lot about a specific disagreement between two friends, but remaining uncarved, I make no opinion about it. I choose no sides and make the conscious decision not to become angry or frustrated in an out of line way, because problems tend to solve themselves with time, and when things need to be fixed, gentle tugs and pushes make better impact than forceful yanks and shoves. Water shapes the earth over many many years, and the results are pleasing and firm. Man shapes the earth over few months, and the results lack pleasure or sturdiness. The block is not uncarved in its knowledge or ability, but rather by its equanimity.