Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Deng Ming-Dao: invisibility

No. 203

In this competitive world, it is best to be invisible.  Go through life without showing off, attracting attention to yourself, or making flamboyant gestures. These will only attract the hostility of others.  The wise accomplish all that they want without arousing the envy or scorn of others.  They make achievements only for the sake of fulfilling  their inner yearnings.
       -- Deng Ming-Dao --
from  365 Tao: Daily Meditations 


Is this best today?  I wonder what kind of world we would have if people followed this as a general rule?

 

32 comments:

  1. i suspect that's not very applicable to today's world... succeeding in modern society more or less demands networking and using contacts... an invisible person would be in danger of starving, i should think...

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    1. Mudpuddle--would networking and using contacts be considered
      "showing off, attracting attention to yourself, or making flamboyant gestures"? I wonder.

      The Taoists strike me as being practical and down-to-earth. Do the networking, etc. quietly and then move on. My thinking anyway.

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  2. I say that it should be different folks for different folks. For some, a quiet wisdom is right. For others, a loud exuberant path works best. I think that it is a mistake to apply a cookie cutter approach to all.

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    1. Brian--is exuberance what Deng is talking about?

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  3. Sometimes it takes competition to put roofs overhead and food on tables. Even the most primitive humans knew this fact of life. Still, I like the idealism in the quotation. But reality demands competition. The phrase "survival of the fittest" comes to mind.

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    1. R.T.--Deng says this is a competitive world, so he recognizes the world for what it is. I don't see where he is denying the necessity of working within it.

      Isn't he talking about a strategy that allows one to reach one's goals without bringing about hostility in others.

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    2. Co-operation has great evolutionary power - just look at ants and bees, indeed any social organism.... including us of course. We are not strongest as individuals but as members of a group. Sure groups compete with each other but within the group there is co-operation.

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    3. CyberKitten--agreed. Many evolutionists argue that survival of the group is most important, far more important than the survival of the individual. The only way an individual can survive is through the survival of the species, the group.

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    4. It is *many* times more difficult for one person to survive - never mind prosper - on their own. Everyone needs to sleep sometime and when you do who is going to watch your back?

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    5. CyberKitten--someone trustworthy I hope.

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  4. The goal of avoiding standing out in a crowd is difficult. It reminds me of the stoicism that I admire, yet do not always practice. There must be a better way than merely avoiding the hostility of others, though that task itself seems to be more difficult every day.

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    1. I would have thought that *not* standing out in a crowd is easy. Isn't that why they call them crowds rather that large numbers of identifiable individuals acting together? Crowds and anonymity pretty much go together don't they?

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    2. James-- Deng suggests that "showing off, attracting attention to yourself, or making flamboyant gestures" is what generates the hostility and jealousy. One of the Taoist tenets is to do one's job or accomplish one's tasks and quietly move on without making an effort to be noticed or recognized.

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    3. CyberKitten--as far as I can tell, the greatest strength of a crowd or worse a mob is its anonymity.

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    4. Probably why people in crowds (or mobs) do things that they would never dream of doing as individuals.

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    5. CyberKitten--exactly. Social psychologists argue that being part of a mob allows one to ignore many restrictions on behavior.

      I guess the answer is to avoid being trapped in a mob or unruly crowd.

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  5. it's difficult to analyze an idea that's been translated from another language; nuances and pointers may be lost and the sense can differ markedly from the original, possibly... if i had to guess, i'd presume Deng was referring to inner qualities and strengths, not so much outward ambitions and/or struggles...

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    1. Mudpuddle--yes, translations have always been a problem going from different languages and cultures. I haven't read that much by Deng, so I can't really comment, but the Taoist materials I have read suggest that they are very concerned with harmonious relationships among people and that a good strategy would be to reduce conflict, hostility, and jealousy among those one must associate with. The inner qualities are important also, but the focus is on the competitive world, the outside world, and reducing envy or scorn.

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  6. He's talking about 'Soft Power' isn't he? Action behind the scenes, watching, making note, the right word in the right ear at the right time and all that.

    I like being invisible (or camouflaged as I like to call it). To get noticed I have to make an effort. Dial it back a bit and I become effectively invisible. It used to bother me and then I thought.... why not embrace it? So I did. Invisibility gives you freedom of action. It allows you to be your real self rather than your public self. It's cozy and friendly, warm in the heart of your comfort zone - not being spied on, not being judged, no expectations or demands. Free.

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    1. CK: exactly... we live remotely and wouldn't give it up for any amount of money...

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    2. CyberKitten and Mudpuddle--yes, that's how I see it also. We live in the real world and must do things to survive and to achieve our goals, and accomplishing them is best when others are not made hostile or jealous at our success. Hostile and jealous people can also become obstructive in the future.

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  7. Not good advice. It depends on many things, like what kind of job you do for instance.

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    1. Di--to be honest, I would not take a job in which showing off, attracting attention to yourself, or making flamboyant gestures was expected.

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    2. Well I'm studying filmmaking. If you want to direct, there's no way you can be invisible. Confidence is a must, you need to grab people's attention, you need to "show off" to some extent and must stand out so people know what you can do, as there's lots of competition and film is a business. You must also have lots of contacts.

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    3. Di--I wonder if all directors are viewed the same way. Are some more well-liked in the industry while others are disliked, regardless of talent?

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    4. Oh I just mean that directors have to pitch, and have to persuade others- persuading producers to give them money, persuading actors to accept the role and to do something, persuading cinematographers and other roles in the crew to do what they want (because very often the different people in the film crew have different ideas and opinions about how something can be done).
      When somebody has made a name, it might be easier, but at the beginning there's lots of competition and you have to be noticed, you have to draw people's attention to yourself.
      Some people are more well-liked than some others, but I think even the ones that are disliked must have some sort of charm, or at least the ability to attract and persuade people.

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    5. Di--OK, I think Deng is talking about being obnoxious.

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    6. I get that.
      I was only reacting to the idea that it's best to be invisible. Generally, yes, but not always.

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    7. Di--yes, always exceptions to the rule. Chuang Tzu, another very important Taoist philosopher, once was offered a position as advisor to a ruler, and he turned it down. He preferred to live his quiet life and not be involved in court politics.

      Perhaps there are positions that make invisibility impossible, therefore one must decide which is best--an important position or the quiet life.

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  8. If a person could order their soul to the point that virtue was its own reward, being invisible might be an aide to their peace. But what kind of world would invisible people create? Could we have magnificent art -- or any structures beyond roofs-and-walls -- if people did not try to be Great?

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    1. Stephen--interesting question. What does it mean to try to be Great in the arts or any endeavor? Would it mean doing a great job or advertising oneself?

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