Alan Watts: Pain - Pt. 2 of 2 >> “Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.” >> ― Lao Tzu
fascinating that this quote comes from an eastern philosopher. If i didn't know better, i would think that this is a bible verse. Just goes to show how surprisingly similar these two philisophies; Christianity and Daoism really are. Wisdom is not bound to any culture or philosophy, it is universal.
The quote about passion was also from an older novel titled "The Glass Bead Game" and it's almost word for word, atleast the first sentence: "What you call passion is not a spiritual force, but friction between the soul and the outside world. Where passion dominates, that does not signify the presence of greater desire and ambition, but rather the misdirection of these qualities toward and isolated and false goal, with a consequent tension and sultriness in the atmosphere. Those who direct the maximum force of their desires toward the center, toward true being, toward perfection, seem quieter than the passionate souls because the flame of their fervor cannot always be seen. In argument, for example, they will not shout or wave their arms. But, I assure you, they are nevertheless, burning with subdued fires." - Hermann "The German" Hesse That being said, I like the way Tarkovsky compiled and retold these ideas. Although he maybe have taken alot of these quotes almost verbatim, what he did change was much more eloquent in my opinion, and his ability to compile and retell all these incredible and interesting philosophical concepts and retell it in a new form of media is still incredibly original and creative. There's a good chance alot of us here wouldn't even know these quotes if it wasn't for the STALKER series, whether it's the game or the movie, or the original book it was loosely based on
What he is saying here I think has to do with the process of learning which is embodied in the story of the phoenix. Learning is transformation, but in order to transform and rise anew, you have to let your former self burn into ashes because it is inevitable to learn something new that doesn't contradict at least a small part of yourself. So in order to transform and actually learn you have to let that part of yourself die. Learning is also renewal, but someone who is stiff and refuses to learn or change his mind cannot be refreshed and so he slowly perishes, like those in nature that cannot adapt, another vital attribute of flexibility.
That which is dead in unchanging. Entirely predictable. Entirely knowable. That which is alive is spontaneous. Unpredictable. Unknowable. When a man dies, he will never do anything that surprises you. When a man thinks he knows everything, he and his world become dead. You admit your own death when you concede that nothing in this world stands to surprise you anymore. When you close your experience of life off and firmly declare, "I've figured it out," that is when you die. This is the meaning of the prayer.
This is one of my favourite parts in the movie! That sound of water drops, those beautiful scenes, deep talks and everything in this film is just amazing. ❤
We thank you, oh Monolith, for revealing the cunning plans of your enemies to us. May your light shine down on the souls of the brave soldiers who gave their lives in service to your will. Onward warriors of the Monolith, avenge your fallen brothers, blessed as they are in their eternal union with the Monolith.
There is a proverb I like to live by that is roughly something like: "Think like a kid." I came up with it myself after reading a book on psychedelics. In the later half, it discusses how psychedelics have a significant, if temporary, effect on your way of thinking, they essentially give your brain a soft reset and allow you to think outside of your old, calcified way of thinking. It turns out children think much the same way as people who have taken some amount of psychedelics. Being that children are inexperienced and therefore behave mostly through instinct and blind intuition, rather than experience, they have an easier time thinking out of the box. In this way, they are much more prosperous of mind. It is a defining trait of youth.
"Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus, whoever is stiff and inflexible, is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and flexible, is a disciple of life. The hard and the stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail." - Lao Tzu
"Man is soft and weak at birth; At death he is hard and rigid. The ten thousand things, herbs and trees, Are soft and delicate when growing up; In dying, they wither and look haggard. Thus hardness and rigidity are companions of death; Softness and weakness are companions of life. Therefore armies, having become rigid, will not win; Trees, having become rigid, will break asunder. The big and rigid will be laid low; The soft and weak will be lifted up." - Daodejing, Chapter 76, Translated by Henry Wei
He left his monkey but the most important think did he abandod all for somwthing..surelyy i would not a glimple ogf imortality..not for my self..i have no family gut for myself in order to help others
"Obviously" is a strong word. In a more general sense, strength may mean blind resilience to hardship, or stoicism. A pseudo blissful ignorance which forbids one to ascertain and overcome the struggles and malign forces of life, instead refusing to confront and truly defeat them, with a focus on a distant reward rather than present challenges. This is of course related to oppression which is empowered by ignorance and a lack of acknowledgement.
@@rixyarbrough1702this is also a misinterpretation given the source of the quotation, Lao Tzu is actually not far removed from stoicism and really does not recommend this sort of confrontation you speak of
