Howard Jones, Dream into Action 8

Here is another one of Jones' poppier songs that has philosophical roots. In this case, the inspiration came from the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu. 

Here is the original text, from Chapter 20 (Legge translation): 

When we renounce learning we have no troubles.
The ready 'yes,' and flattering 'yea'—
Small is the difference they display.
But mark their issues, good and ill—
What space the gulf between shall fill? 

What all men fear is indeed to be feared; but how wide and without end is the range of questions asking to be discussed! 

The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet, as if mounted on a tower in spring. I alone seem listless and still, my desires having as yet given no indication of their presence. I am like an infant which has not yet smiled. I look dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to. 

The multitude of men all have enough and to spare. I alone seem to have lost everything. My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of chaos. 

Ordinary men look bright and intelligent, while I alone seem to be benighted. They look full of discrimination, while I alone am dull and confused. I seem to be carried about as on the sea, drifting as if I had nowhere to rest. 

All men have their spheres of action, while I alone seem dull and incapable, like a rude borderer. Thus I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother, the Tao. 

When this tune first appeared, I knew very little about Taoism, and that was probably a good thing, since I was given the opportunity to reflect on its meaning without any intellectual baggage. Assumptions will trip us up, and the way things initially appear is not always the way they truly are. 

I know many "westerners" who like to represent "eastern" traditions as if they are somehow more mystically profound because they are wrapped up in cryptic paradoxes, and yet there is never any contradiction in humbly learning how things that at one time seemed opposed can ultimately be united under a higher understanding. 

Yes, there is a difference between up and down, yes and no, or here and there, though the contrast between them begins to become less and less significant as the order of the whole is gradually revealed.  

Observe those who are caught in the rut of established rules and narrow fashions, and they will look so successful and confident, while they are actually quite lost regarding who they are and why they are here. If you, in turn, seek to discover what is behind all the flashy images, you will come across as quite hopeless and pathetic. 

No matter. You are slowly but surely discovering that there is no need for conflict, how to flow with Nature instead of fighting against her, and why all things are reducible to the One. 

—5/2007 

A few words of commentary from Howard Jones: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz8UjZ6ucKM&list=OLAK5uy_mN2Ly6tKSy0y1d0klY_kza9FHOfbzzJ5E&index=15

And the song itself:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjmbwJowE70&list=OLAK5uy_mN2Ly6tKSy0y1d0klY_kza9FHOfbzzJ5E&index=16

Howard Jones, "Is There a Difference?" from Dream into Action (1985) 

Is there a difference between yes and no? 

Is there a difference between up and down? 
Must I fear what others fear? 
What nonsense 

Some people are content 
Enjoying things that belong to tradition 
With the seasons they cast their lot 
Without a question 

Other men are clear and bright and solid 
Other men are sharp and clever and jolly 
And we go wo oh oh wo oh oh oh wo 

Is there a difference between high and low? 
Is there a difference between then and now? 
Do we have to live in pain and fear? 
What nonsense 

People are drifting like the waves on the sea 
Without direction like the restless wind 
Not knowing forward not knowing back 
Just existing 

Other men are strong and full of courage 
Other men are witty and full of knowledge 
And we go wo oh oh wo oh oh wo 

Other men are clear and bright and solid 
I alone am drifting on the sea 
Other men are sharp and clever and jolly 
Restless like the wind 
And we go wo oh oh wo oh oh wo 

Is there a difference 
Is there really a difference
Yes and no? 
Is there a difference
Up and down? 
Is there a difference
High and low? 
Is there a difference
Then and now? 
Is there a difference . . . 

Tao Te Ching 81

Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who are skilled in the Tao do not dispute about it; the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know the Tao are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.

The sage does not accumulate for himself. The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own; the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.

With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures not; with all the doing in the way of the sage, he does not strive.

Tao Te Ching 80

In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no employment of them; I would make the people, while looking on death as a grievous thing, yet not remove elsewhere to avoid it.

Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them.

I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords instead of the written characters.

They should think their coarse food sweet; their plain clothes beautiful; their poor dwellings places of rest; and their common ways sources of enjoyment.

There should be a neighboring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it.

Tao Te Ching 79

When a reconciliation is effected between two parties after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining in the mind of the one who was wrong. And how can this be beneficial to the other?

Therefore to guard against this, the sage keeps the left-hand portion of the record of the engagement, and does not insist on the speedy fulfillment of it by the other party. 

So, he who has the attributes of the Tao regards only the conditions of the engagement, while he who has not those attributes regards only the conditions favorable to himself.

In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man.

Tao Te Ching 78

There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence over it—for there is nothing so effectual for which it can be changed.

Everyone in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.

Therefore a sage has said,
'He who accepts his state's reproach,
Is hailed therefore its altars' lord;
To him who bears men's direful woes
They all the name of King accord.'

Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical.

Tao Te Ching 77

May not the Way, or Tao, of Heaven be compared to the method of bending a bow? The part of the bow which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. So Heaven diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.

It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance.

Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!

Therefore the ruling sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest arrogantly in it—he does not wish to display his superiority.

Tao Te Ching 76

Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong.

So it is with all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered.

Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants of life.

Hence he who relies on the strength of his forces does not conquer; and a tree which is strong will fill the outstretched arms, and thereby invites the feller.

Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above.

Tao Te Ching 75

The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors. It is through this that they suffer famine.

The people are difficult to govern because of the excessive agency of their superiors in governing them. It is through this that they are difficult to govern.

The people make light of dying because of the greatness of their labors in seeking for the means of living. It is this which makes them think light of dying. 

Thus it is that to leave the subject of living altogether out of view is better than to set a high value on it.

Tao Te Ching 74

The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to try to frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death, and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would dare to do wrong?

There is always One who presides over the infliction of death. He who would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter. Seldom is it that he who undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter, does not cut his own hands!

 

Tao Te Ching 73

He whose boldness appears in his daring to do wrong, in defiance of the laws, is put to death; he whose boldness appears in his not daring to do so lives on. Of these two cases the one appears to be advantageous, and the other to be injurious. But—

When Heaven's anger smites a man,

Who the cause shall truly scan?

On this account the sage feels a difficulty as to what to do in the former case.

It is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it skillfully overcomes; not to speak, and yet it is skillful in obtaining a reply; does not call, and yet men come to it of themselves.

Its demonstrations are quiet, and yet its plans are skillful and effective. The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart, but letting nothing escape.

Tao Te Ching 72

When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them.

Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on.

It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise.

Therefore the sage knows these things of himself, but does not parade his knowledge; loves, but does not appear to set a value on, himself. And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former.

Tao Te Ching 71

To know and yet think we do not know is the highest attainment; not to know and yet think we do know is a disease.

It is simply by being pained at the thought of having this disease that we are preserved from it. The sage has not the disease. He knows the pain that would be inseparable from it, and therefore he does not have it.

Tao Te Ching 70

My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practice, but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them.

There is an originating and all-comprehending principle in my words, and an authoritative law for the things which I enforce. It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.

They who know me are few, and I am on that account the more to be prized. It is thus that the sage wears a poor garb of hair cloth, while he carries his signet of jade in his bosom. 

Tao Te Ching 69

A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the host, to commence the war; I prefer to be the guest, to act on the defensive. I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.' 

This is called marshaling the ranks where there are no ranks; baring the arms to fight where there are no arms to bare; grasping the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; advancing against the enemy where there is no enemy.  

There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. To do that is near losing the gentleness which is so precious. Thus it is that when opposing weapons are actually crossed, he who deplores the situation conquers. 

Tao Te Ching 68

He who in Tao's wars has skill
Assumes no martial port;
He who fights with most good will
To rage makes no resort.
He who vanquishes yet still
Keeps from his foes apart;
He whose behests men most fulfill
Yet humbly plies his art.  

Thus we say, 'He never contends,
And therein is his might.'
Thus we say, 'Men's wills he bends,
That they with him unite.'
Thus we say, 'Like Heaven's his ends,
No sage of old more bright.'

Tao Te Ching 67

All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet appears to be inferior to other systems of teaching. Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior. If it were like any other system, for long would its smallness have been known!

But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast. The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking the precedence of others.

With that gentleness I can be bold; with that economy I can be liberal; shrinking from taking the precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honor. 

Nowadays they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; economy, and are all for being liberal; the hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost—of all which the end is death.

Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground. Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him.

IMAGE: Muxi Fachang, Lao Tzu (13th century)

 

Tao Te Ching 66

That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they—it is thus that they are the kings of them all. 

So it is that the sage ruler, wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and, wishing to be before them, places his person behind them.

In this way though he has his place above them, men do not feel his weight, nor though he has his place before them, do they feel it an injury to them.

Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him.

Tao Te Ching 65

The ancients who showed their skill in practicing the Tao did so, not to enlighten the people, but rather to make them simple and ignorant. 

The difficulty in governing the people arises from their having much knowledge. He who tries to govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not try to do so is a blessing. 

He who knows these two things finds in them also his model and rule. Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call the mysterious excellence of a governor. Deep and far-reaching is such mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite to others, but leading them to a great conformity to him.
 

Tao Te Ching 64

That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun. 

The tree that fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step. 

He who acts with an ulterior purpose does harm; he who takes hold of a thing in the same way loses his hold. The sage does not act so, and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold so, and therefore does not lose his hold. 

But people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as they should be at the beginning, they would not so ruin them. 

Therefore the sage desires what other men do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what other men do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act with an ulterior purpose of his own.

Tao Te Ching 63

It is the way of the Tao to act without thinking of acting; to conduct affairs without feeling the trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavor; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness.

The master of it anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things.

He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties.