Everything is Relative, Even Beauty!

Laozi’s timeless teachings on perception and judgment

When we see something around us and are asked to form an opinion, our instinctive response is to compare it with an existing idea or object of similar nature in realms of our mind. In doing so, we relate the new idea to an already existing one.

Once we find a more beautiful idea, this new idea takes the place of the old one as the new ideal — the one through which all the next comparisons are to be made.

The new idea becomes ideal and the old becomes ugly. This is true in the case of relationships as well.

What does it mean?

Our perception is never constant, it is non-rigid, supple, flexible, and susceptible to changes. We define our own standards and we change them quite often. Our perception is relative!

Also, we appreciate the light only when we know the sorrow that darkness carries. Thus, it is the darkness that defines light. Had there been no such thing as darkness, we would never have appreciated light.

The same applies in the case of good and bad, happiness, and sorrow. We say something is easy because we have experienced relatively difficult things in the past. Thus, it is easy that defines difficult, the two support each other. The two extremes are different manifestations of the same force, it is our flawed perception that judges them as different.

In Tao Te Ching, Laozi explains that ‘the master understands this and thus his greatest virtue is in following and flowing with the natural course of things. He does not interfere with the natural way of the Tao. He does not have presumptions, he never judges. He considers himself just a witness.’

Eternal freedom comes from absolute detachment, therefore the way to happiness if to have everything but possesses nothing. When we give up trying to possess, we have nothing to lose.

The great thoughts of the master can never erode. They echo back and forth and last till eternity.