NPR--The Tao Te Ching on 'You Must Read This'

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I was listening to NPR on the drive home; on 'You Must Read This,' Henry Alford recommends the Tao Te Ching.

You can read the transcript or listen to a podcast at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96518546

--Becca

[Anonymous]

Becca,
At your suggestion, I took a look at the NPR blurb. The speaker seems to echo the old Buddhist Poverb that "When one is unenlightened, a mountain is a mountain. When one approaches enlightenment, a mountain is not a mountain. When one at last reaches full enlightenment, a mountain is a mountain." Perhaps with a few more trips to/from the Tao Te Ching, the speaker will find that enlightenment. In my case, I'm still looking.
Walt Banta

[Anonymous]

Hi!

Isn't NPR fun? There's always something new to enjoy. I was listening last night on the way back from the talk on 'Modern Japan' and they were broadcasting the Santa Monica city council's public meeting. I'm sure it was all very informative, but it was also unintentionally funny since the city council people were very (perhaps *too*) well-mic'ed and you could hear their reactions to the comments of the people who had come to listen and speak.

--Becca

[Anonymous]

Becca-

Ahhh - the open mic - it can pick up things we should not hear. Too often the "off mic" comments are better than those "on mic," or they completely undermine what one says.
Walt Banta (This is a comment that does not address the topic of East Asia)[Edit by="wbanta on Dec 24, 1:53:23 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the link...
Of government, the Tao Te Ching says: "To rule a country, one must act with care, as when frying a small fish."
While I think that the Tao Te Ching has interesting and sometimes seemingly appropriate bits of wisdom, I don't really find it all that appealing. For example, the quote above...i think there is absolutely something to be said for simplicity, but what i find problematic is that the Tao fails to be relevant to supposed universal phenomena. There is truth in the quote above, but the complications of diversity, intolerance and humanity make it impossible to use the Tao as a guide. It seems to be me to be lacking in profundity precisely because of the fundamental lacking of understanding of the human condition. Maybe I am just too pessimistic. But it is hard for me to find value in the Tao.

[Anonymous]

I listen to NPR a lot and like a lot of what I hear and learn there, but I found this segment hard to follow. The speaker's voice was easy to listen to, but I didn't get the point of his piece. It sounded like it was supposed to be about a collection of wise sayings, but I couldn't make sense of why the segment was being presented. I'm sure these are wise sayings to someone.

Oh well, NPR will lob a few duds from time to time. For me, this was one of them.

[Anonymous]

Great. I think that pod casts will be the future. I think that podcast are a great way to recap a lecture, or story, and the fact that it can be uploaded to the internet, and students can access it, is a powerful tool. I think that school districts and administrators will eventually see the value. I believe of course, that there has to be accountability, and some type of monitoring or guidelines when information is given to our students.

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