I was surprised and happy to hear that my comrade has finally returned to Hive after breaking his 4-year silence!
told me that he is of Black ancestry as an American.
I wonder if he would be offended if I told him about the fact that he has Black ancestry!
I hope he understands my awkward and rude English expressions!😅
I guessed that he couldn't come here for four years because he had serious conflicts and confrontations with others at the Hive!
He gave me a lot of help and advice at Hive!
Most of all, He advised me that it would be good for me to work as a writer in the United States!
So, I was always grateful to him!
I became interested after reading an article he wrote about the ancient Chinese thinker Laozi!
Although I don't fully understand his English article, I decided to write an article about Laozi!
Laozi (/ˌlaʊˈtsʌ/ low-TSUH; Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ), formerly latinized as Laocius, was a legendary Chinese philosopher considered to be the author of the Tao Te Ching (Pinyin: Dào Dé Jīng), one of the foundational texts of Taoism. Modern scholarship generally regards his biographical details as later inventions and his opus a collaboration of various writers, with the name Laozi, literally meaning 'Old Master', likely intended to portray an archaic anonymity that could converse with Confucianism. Traditional accounts addend him as Li Er, born in the 6th-century BC state of Chu during China's Spring and Autumn period (c. 770 – c. 481 BC). Serving as the royal archivist for the Zhou court at Wangcheng (modern Luoyang), he met and impressed Confucius (c. 551 – c. 479 BC) on one occasion, composing the Dào Dé Jīng in a single session before retiring into the western wilderness.
A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is generally considered the founder of Taoism. He was claimed and revered as the ancestor of the Tang dynasty (618–907) and is similarly honored in modern China as the progenitor of the popular surname Li. In some sects of Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Chinese folk religion, it is held that he then became an immortal hermit.[2] Certain Taoist devotees held that the Dào Dé Jīng was the avatar – embodied as a book – of the god Laojun, one of the Three Pure Ones of the Taoist pantheon, though few philosophers believe this.[3]
The Dào Dé Jīng had a profound influence on Chinese religious movements and on subsequent Chinese philosophers, who annotated, commended, and criticized the texts extensively. In the 20th century, textual criticism by historians led to theories questioning Laozi's timing or even existence, positing that the received text of the Dào Dé Jīng was not composed until the Warring States period (c. 475 – 221 BC), and was the product of multiple authors.
Laozi (/ˌlaʊˈtsʌ/ low-TSUH; Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ) is the figure who created the foundation of myths and religions throughout East Asia, including China!
I assess that he holds the same achievements and position as Homer and Hesiod, the creators of Greek mythology!
Homer (/ˈhoʊmər/; Ancient Greek: Ὅμηρος [hómɛːros], Hómēros; possibly born c. the 8th century BC) was an ancient Greek poet who is widely credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Although his life and authorship remain obscure, Homer was highly revered in ancient Greek society and is considered one of the most influential authors in history.[1]
The Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The epics depict man's struggle, the Odyssey especially so, as Odysseus perseveres through the punishment of the gods.[3] The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language that shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic.[4][5] Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally.[6] Despite being predominantly known for their tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.[7]
The Homeric poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor.[8] To Plato, Homer was in simple words the one who "has educated Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν, tēn Helláda pepaídeuken).[9][10] In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets;[11] in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets".[12] From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.[13]
The question of by whom, when, where, and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars generally regard the two poems as the works of separate authors. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC.[14] Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region including the central part of the western coast of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, and the Greek islands of Chios and Samos.[15] Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.[16]
Hesiod (/ˈhiːsiəd/ HEE-see-əd or /ˈhɛsiəd/ HEH-see-əd;[3] Ancient Greek: Ἡσίοδος Hēsíodos; fl. c. 700 BC) was an Ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.[1][2]
Several of Hesiod's works have survived in their entirety. Among these are Theogony, which tells the origins of the gods, their lineages, and the events that led to Zeus's rise to power, and Works and Days, a poem that describes the five Ages of Man, offers advice and wisdom, and includes myths such as Pandora's box.
Hesiod is generally regarded by Western authors as 'the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject.'[4] Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs.[5] Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought,[6] Archaic Greek astronomy, cosmology, and ancient time-keeping.
I think knows better than I do what position and achievements Homer and Hesiod, the creators of Greek mythology, held in Western civilization!😄
I am sure that is well aware of the works and quotes of Homer and Hesiod!😄
I guessed that had Greek skills good enough to read the works of Homer and Hesiod!👍
I guessed that learned Greek and Latin at university!
But, I don't know any Greek!😅
The Tao Te Ching or Dào Dé Jīng,[note 1] (traditional Chinese: 道德經; simplified Chinese: 道德经; lit. 'Classic of the Way and its Virtue') often Laozi in Chinese and scholarship, is an ancient Chinese classic text, becoming a foundational work of Taoism. Central to both philosophical and religious Taoism, it has been highly influential on Chinese philosophy and religious practice in general.[7]
Traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, with several similar early versions recovered, the texts' authorship and dates of composition and compilation are debated.[8] The oldest excavated portion dates to the late 4th century BCE. While tradition places Laozi earlier, a more conservative estimation would date modern versions of the text only as far back as the late Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE).[9]
Terminology originating within the text has been reinterpreted and elaborated upon by Legalist thinkers, Confucianists, and particularly Chinese Buddhists, introduced to China significantly after the initial solidification of Taoist thought. One of the most translated texts in world literature, the text is well known in the West.[7]
The Tao Te Ching or Dào Dé Jīng, [note 1] (traditional Chinese: 道德经; simplified Chinese: 道德经; lit. 'Classic of the Way and its Virtue') written by Laozi is comparable to the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Theogony.
The Tao Te Ching, or Dào Dé Jīng, spread to China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, exerting a tremendous influence on the birth of religion, mythology, and ethics!
East Asian thinkers and religious figures enjoy boasting of their superiority and wisdom to the public by quoting many ideas and famous sayings from the Tao Te Ching or Dào Dé Jīng!
Since Laozi's life, thought, and achievements are all symbolized within myths, there is also a claim that later generations created his life and philosophy.
So, Current Laozi's thought has been mixed with Confucianism and Buddhism, reborn as a new religion and philosophy entirely different from the original!
Contemporary East Asian politicians, thinkers, artists, and writers have always recreated and reproduced Laozi's philosophy for their own interests and purposes.
It is similar to the act of Thomas Bulfinch, 's ancestor, recreating Greek mythology through Christian theology!😆
Thomas Bulfinch (July 15, 1796 – May 27, 1867[1]) was an American author born in Newton, Massachusetts, known best for Bulfinch's Mythology, a posthumous combination of his three volumes of mythologies.
I thought that Thomas Bulfinch recreated ancient Greek mythology to fit the ethics and religion of Christian civilization!
Taoism or Daoism (/ˈtaʊ.ɪzəm/ ⓘ, /ˈdaʊ.ɪzəm/ ⓘ) is a philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao 道. With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', 'path', or 'technique', generally understood in the Taoist sense as an enigmatic process of transforming ultimately underlying reality.[2][3] Taoist thought has informed the development of various practices within the Taoist tradition, including forms of meditation, astrology, qigong, feng shui, and internal alchemy.[4] A common goal of Taoist practice is self-cultivation, a deeper appreciation of the Tao, and more harmonious existence. Taoist ethics generally emphasize virtues of effortless action, naturalness, simplicity, and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility.
Laozi's philosophy and religion are commonly referred to as Taoism or Daoism in East Asia.
However, from a Western perspective, it resembles Greek mythology—a highly chaotic and disordered system encompassing all domains of religion, philosophy, science, technology, literature, and art!
From my personal perspective, I consider Taoism, or Daoism, to be a means to maintain the political unity of the Chinese world, much like Greek mythology!
The great overlords of East Asia, whom my dear senior loves, are promoting to the public that they are masters of Taoism, or Daoism.😆
Japanese overlords and German Nazi party members
Stalin and Mao Zedong
Madam Kate brown!
Japanese overlords
Overlords of East Asia have studied Taoism, or Daoism, since 2,000 years ago to thoroughly use it as a tool for their own interests and desires!
So, I am convinced that the great monarchs of East Asia will give the best lecture on Taoism, or Daoism!😆
For 2,000 years, Overlords of East Asia have created centralization through Taoism.
My dear comrade , I hope you remember the fact that Overlords of East Asia are masters of Taoism or Daoism far superior to me!😆
For 2,000 years, all religions, philosophies, scholarship, literature, art, science, and technology in East Asia have been created and maintained for the benefit and purposes of Overlords!
In conclusion, I believe that Taoism, just like Greek mythology, was created and developed as a political tool for overlords!
Disclaimer: The article above is the result of my personal research and has not been recognized as a theory. Therefore, I acknowledge the possibility of errors and misunderstandings!
I hope my friends will understand my awkward and rude English sentences!
I am always grateful for your advice and help!😃