.svg)
Order“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism
This is a classic teaching of Lao Tzu that seems to be out of the minds of the rulers of this kingdom. This is the time that we need to be more observant on what is going on in our society, to our fellow people. The cries of their hearts are not just small, negligible cries. Their cries came from something far more than a noble person can imagine. Look at them, famine and poverty is bringing their bodies to the ground. Yet, you too seem blind about this fact. You are blinded by your extreme loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Look around you; think about the things that are happening around us. Look at our neighbors, look at us.
Looking back in our history’s pages, it is known that the Han Dynasty is founded by a peasant rebel leader, Liu Band. Liu Band revolted against the ruthless governance of the Qin Dynasty (History-of-China.com, 2007). This is just history repeating itself. Can’t you see? The Qin Dynasty was oppressing the people, which led to the revolt of our fellow countrymen. This was the turning point of our history’s pages. The ruthless Qin Dynasty was defeated and the Han Dynasty was born.
Can't complete your paper?
Need a quick, creative solution?
Never too late to get it done by our pros
Write My PaperThe Han Dynasty brought forth many technological advances such as the invention of paper and porcelain (History-of-China.com, 2007). The paper we use for writing and the porcelain that are very useful in storing some things, all of these are to be commended to them. Furthermore, the intellectual, literary and artistic endeavors were revived and were allowed to flourish after its restriction in the past governments (History-of-China.com, 2007). However, in every story, there are always two sides. The positive sides of the Han Dynasty are commendable.
Now, let us talk about the reasons why the Yellow Scarves Traitors revolted against this government. The Han government consists of an organized hierarchy of social classes: the Royal family, the eunuchs, the scholars, the farmers, and the slaves (Crutchfield, 1). There is a highly organized system in the Han Dynasty; however, some of the high government officials abused their power and control for their own selfish ambitions. Corruption was rampant in the higher-ups.
The eunuchs were assigned to be assistants to the emperor, right? However, they have selfish ambitions. They did everything to enrich themselves. The Ten Regular Attendants, ten of the most powerful eunuchs, dominated the government. They are respected by the emperor as his “foster father” (Crutchfield, 1). The Emperor Ling is also deceived by their evil plans. They are the ones controlling the palace. Emperor Ling is only a nice picture to look at, but at the back of that picture, the Ten Regular Attendants are there. They pose their widest smiles for the control and power that they have.
Our fellow countrymen suffer because of the greed of the Ten Regular Attendants. They don’t care about us! They care about themselves! They care about what they acquire! Look around, the high taxes that are being imposed on these farmers are pushing them on their limits.
That is why I believe that there is nothing wrong with the revolt of the Yellow Scarves Traitors. They are not to be called traitors. They are not. They are just fighting for what they think is wrong. They fight for their rights as living beings. The Han government is deaf and blind about the pains of the countrymen. That is why I believe in their cause. The Han government is becoming more and more scandalous and corrupt.
The Yellow Scarves Traitors are a daoist sect which promotes the curing of the sick using faith healing and confession of sins. The Daoism that the Yellow Scarves Traitors promote is a religious Daoism. It is from the word itself, religion. Let’s get back to the basics. What is Daoism? And what are the daoist practices that we promote?
Daoism is never a unified religion. It is a combination of different divisions with different practices and beliefs. However, there are core values that the different divisions share and have in common:
Principles
They believe in the non-action ways of doing things, peaceful ways, refinement, natural ways of doing things and anything that does not complicate things.
Tao/Te/Wu Wei/Pu
Tao is the codified or natural flow of the universe. It is simplified to be called “the way” (Hansen, 206). Te is the action or way on how you perform or do “the way” (Kraemer, 286). Wu Wei is the effortless doing of things. It is the belief that nature has its own ways of doing things. Pu is believed to be the true nature of the mind. It is the natural state of our being (Carr & Zhang, 209).
Spirituality
Daoists believe that man is just a small part of the universe (Robinet, 103). And that, to be able to be a harmonious human being, you have to align yourself to the environment. Furthermore, each part of the body has its corresponding elements. To be harmonious, you have to align them accordingly (Occhiogrosso, 171).
Ethics
The Daoists believe that there are three basic virtues that one must possess to be a successful being, these are compassion, moderation, and humility. These basic virtues are kept sacred by the dao.
The Daoists are very peaceful beings, however, people try to destroy this peace that they advocate. The people that are selfish and greedy dissociates their relationship with themselves and nature. The Han dynasty is proven to be a disturbance to the peace of these people. The Yellow Scarves Traitors stood up for this cause. I believe that they are to be commended for standing up and displaying courage to our fellow countrymen.
