2022-08-14¶

It came as somewhat of a surprise to me to learn that Taoism itself was not so ancient of a philosophy as it seemed. I'd certainly thought that its origins predated Confucianism, but it seems that 老子 was a contemporary of 孔子's, both of whose philosophies draw on the 易经, their common ancestral text—which on a cursory examination seemed like a tarot manual, just Chinese.

Then again, maybe if Taoism had not been born out of a reaction against the corrupt civilisation of the day, it'd appear less relatable to our contemporary ears. Rawer, less easily digested. Perhaps something closer to simply the drip, drip, drip of water on stone, or the swirling cloud of sediment getting kicked up by a frog as it surfaces from the bottom...