Quiet Life

March 14, 2008

I was taken by the notion of simplicity this past week. I feel somewhat silly since the occasion for these thoughts was the 3rd century BC writer Chuang Tzu, who I have been teaching in Freshman Studies. But parts of it resonated with me:

Do not be an embodier of fame; do not be a storehouse of schemes; do not be an undertaker of projects; do not be a proprietor of wisdom. Embody to the fullest what has no end and wander where there is no trail. Hold on to all that you have received from Heaven but do not think you have gotten anything. Be empty, that is all. The Perfect Man uses his mind like a mirror—going after nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing. Therefore he can win out over things and not hurt himself. [94-5]

There are aspects of the academic world that encourage one to become a "storehouse of schemes" and an "undertaker of projects." The academic publishing system rewards time spent wandering on the trail.

As this blog works into its third year of activity, I hope it can embody a kind of quietness and measuredness. That is certainly the place from which most of these blogs come from. The end of the day is upon me, I am tired, but I also have the chance to gather my thoughts and set down some ideas that might even surprise me. I like to think this is about getting off the trail.. and embarking on a project—thought—that has no end.

Chuang Tzu might see this blog labor as too intellectually motivated and determined.. I am sure he would disapprove. Besides praise for the True Man of ancient times, there is little loving care for the past.. just concern for the proper frame of mind in the present. But the nice thing about books is that we can find in them what we want and need.

A little closer to my real longing is the image of a Chinese painting from the 13th century.. entitled "Wang Xizhi Watching Geese" by Qian Xuan. The commentary alongside the painting is as follows:

The calm watcher is the fourth-century scholar-artist Wang Xizhi, father of classical calligraphy and model for living an active life in retreat. He is depicted by the painter Qian Xuan, another connoisseur of reclusion...

A fascinating notion: an "active life in retreat." Check out the image and then try to imagine a version of it in our own time. Hard to do. Except in our minds where we can filter out the world and watch imaginary geese sailing over an imaginary plain.