Quotes From 'Discussion On Making All Things Equal'

Section 2, “Discussion on Making All Things Equal” speaks on arguments. One of the stories within the section that stood out to me had a quote on arguments and winning them. Chü Ch’üeh-tzu is asking Chang Wu-tzu many questions. Chang Wu-tzu begins to answer them and has one quote that I found especially thought-provoking. He said, “Suppose you and I have had an argument. If you have beaten me instead of my beating you, then are you necessarily right and am I necessarily wrong?” (pg.43, lines 20-22). This quote was meant to address the validity of arguments and how even if one does “win” it doesn’t mean that their point was correct. Another part of section 2 that I enjoyed was when Chuang Tzu told a story to explain what he called “three in

Opinions of the world around us, opinions of others, and opinions of ourselves are all examples of this. Section 26 talks about the dangers of not expanding one’s view. Chuang Tzu makes a comparison between physically viewing things and how we mentally view them. He brings up how we often base our self-worth on things we see ourselves do and not the impact we have on others. Chuang Tzu writes, “Since I see my own smallness, what reason would I have to pride myself?” (pg.97, lines 21-22). I see this quote as expressing the idea that it is difficult to truly look at yourself if you are not open to others’ views of you. Branching off the theme of self-worth Chuang Tzu brings up fulfillment. He writes about how Jo of the North Sea is giving advice on life and fulfillment. One piece of advice that Jo gives is, “One moment empty, the next moment full-you cannot depend upon their form.” (pg.103, lines 16-17). The point that Chuang Tzu was trying to make with this quote is that life ebbs and flows and that one’s fulfillment should not be based on moments you cannot

It typically comes in waves, but for some, it’s harder to find. Those that have a harder time finding it tend to look to others for advice. One of the issues with this is that the idea of happiness is convoluted. Section 18 of the Chuang Tzu is built around this idea saying, “is there such a thing as supreme happiness in the world or isn’t there?” (pg.111, lines 1-2). Chuang Tzu brings up how what the world finds happiness in is different than what we as individuals find happiness in. He talks about how those with everything can still be unhappy and vice versa, stating that the mere idea of finding happiness is a major stressor in many people’s lives. The point that he seems to be trying to convey is that chasing happiness will only leave you stressed out and unhappy in the long run. Chuang Tzu builds off his thoughts on the stress of happiness, bringing up death. Death is a difficult subject to talk about, people grieve differently and have different experiences surrounding lost loved ones. In section 18 a story of Chuang Tzus’ grieving process after the passing of his wife is told. He is found singing instead of crying, a reaction that seems disrespectful at first. He reassures that he does care and explains his actions saying, “If I were to follow after her bawling and sobbing, it would show that I don’t understand anything about fate. So I stopped.” (pg.113, line 20-22). This quote caused me to pause and take a step