Laozi Essays - Taoism, Laozi, Tao Te Ching, Tao, Chinese Philosophy

Laozi Laozi created Daoism, a well-known Chinese philosophy, but very little is known about his mysterious figure. It is said the he was born in the province of Henan in 570BCE (Encarta). Before becoming a philosopher, he worked as a court librarian at the imperial court. He also went by the name Lao-Tzu, which means Old Master. Very little is known about Laozis early life, but he is credited with creating Daoism and writing the Daode Jing, the most widely translated Chinese text. Laozis strong opinions and eccentric beliefs would lead to the formation of Daoism. Laozi overcame many obstacles before gaining followers. His wise council attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing. He believed that written words might solidify into formal dogma (Internet 5). Laozi wanted his philosophy to remain a natural way to live life with goodness, serenity and respect. At age 80 he set out toward what is now Tibet, saddened and disillusioned that people were unwilling to follow his path to natural goodness (Grolier). Legend says Laozi set off into the desert on a water buffalo leaving civilization behind (Internet 5). When he arrived at the final gate at the great wall protecting the kingdom, the gatekeeper persuaded him to record the principles of his philosophy for posterity. The result was the Daode Jing. This ancient Chinese classic was translated more than any other book ever; except for the Bible (Internet 6). Laozi gained many followers after writing the Daode Jing. Laozi saw past everyday worries to focus on the dao, or the way of the universe as a whole (Ellis 91). The Daode Jing teaches that the dao is realized through recognition and acceptance of nothingness. Laozi thought that by doing nothing one could accomplish everything. He did not mean to literally do nothing, but to discern and follow the natural forces (Internet 6). First and foremost to be spontaneous in ones actions. He laid down no rigid code for behavior. He believed a person's conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience. Laozi believed that human life, like everything else in the universe, is constantly influenced by outside forces. He believed simplicity to be the key to truth and freedom. Laozi encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; and to use that power to lead life with love, and without force (Internet 5). Laozis teachings allowed fellow Daoists to have interesting views on the natural world. Laozis legacy will live on forever. His beliefs and opinions about the world as a whole are like none others. Scholars continue to study his teachings and find out more about this mysterious individual. Daoism will always remain one of the most interesting philosophies. Philosophy

Giving It Away †Nothing for Nothing

Giving It Away – Nothing for Nothing I’m going to take a stance here that may rub some of y’all raw. Quit giving away your work. It’s an old mantra with me . . . one that FundsforWriters was founded upon. You cannot make a living giving yourself away. Doctors don’t give away their expertise. Lawyers charge for their services. So do teachers, plumbers . . . even hookers do it. But you need exposure, you may say. No you don’t. Not that kind of exposure. Do you know what you look like when you pitch an editor or agent and the only items on your resume are: 1) Your serial novel on your blog;2) Your articles on websites that do not pay;3) Your poetry for free on your website;4) Your free short stories on anyplace that will take them. But you keep trying to sell your work and nobody buys it. So you figure you’ll post it online and somebody might discover it. Here are the flaws in that logic. LOGIC A. The people hungry for your free work usually aren’t the type willing to pay. Think about it. They’re usually trolling for free work, and continually seek the good deal. They have no desire to pay full price for a book or subscription, maybe not even one copy of a magazine where your work appears, because there’s ample free material available. LOGIC B.Editors and agents do not visit those freebie places. Not unless you happen to be that one in a million writer who trends on Twitter or manages to garner tens of thousands of readers. Not hundreds†¦thousands. Your odds are better pitching to editors. LOGIC C. If you are publishing for free because you keep getting rejected, then your writing might need work. People willing to pay for writing expect to receive a good return for their investment, so your work has to be refined and polished to rate their hard-earned dollar. LOGIC DIf you are publishing for free because you don’t want to learn the ropes of how to submit to publishers and markets that pay, you might not be made of strong enough material to weather this business. Argue with me. Go ahead. Then tell me how much money you’ve made from that â€Å"exposure.† I’m all ears. I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. On the contrary. I want you to make a buck at this business. But too many writers think that giving their work away is â€Å"exposure† or a means to â€Å"getting discovered† when in reality, they usually end up sitting in place and waiting for nothing†¦and doing it for a long time. It’s understandable you need to be proactive, but put that energy to good use in the right direction. 1) Improve your writing2) Sell your work3) Promote yourself. You don’t want to appear so desperate you give it away. In all aspects of your life, how much quality do you attribute to something that was given to you for free? If you give your writing away for free, you cant afford to remain a writer for long. Fight to stick around . . . get paid for your work.