#21 From Self-Deception to Awakening
Reshape reality by dissolving the human-centered worldview and approach
“Heaven and earth have their great beauties but do not speak of them; the four seasons have their clear-marked regularity but do not discuss it; the ten thousand things have their principles of growth but do not expound them. The sage seeks out the beauties of Heaven and earth and masters the principles of the ten thousand things.“1
— Chuang Tzu
Between 1958 and 1962, the People's Republic of China embarked on one of human history’s most radical political and social experiments: the Great Leap Forward. Driven by revolutionary fervor to build a socialist state, the Chinese government, under the leadership of Mao Zedong, implemented sweeping policies to accelerate the process. Aiming to transform the nation with speed, Mao confidently proclaimed that China could catch up with advanced capitalist economies within 15 years.2
Given China's largely agrarian reality, the central government initiated rapid industrialization by abolishing private farming and organizing peasants into large collective farms and communes. The primary goal of all agricultural output was to serve the grand purpose of industrialization.
However, the emotional drive for ideological purity and fear of political repercussions led local officials to set unrealistic production quotas and report inflated figures to their superiors. The consequences were disastrous. Farmers in rural areas, unable to meet these unattainable goals, were left without enough food to sustain their own families.
As a result, a devastating famine swept across China's rural regions, leading to the deaths of an estimated 15 to 45 million people.3 The central government’s whole basket of policies reveals a human-centric belief in its ability to control and direct the economy through rigid top-down mandates without considering local conditions, economic and social realities, and the need for feedback and adaptation. Eventually, political radicalism led to one of the most tragic famines in human history.
The Great Famine reminds us of the dangers of central planning and the fatal flaw of human conceit.
Tao is everywhere
Master Dongguo was curious to know more about Tao and asked Chuang Tzu,
“Where is the so-called Tao?”
Chuang Tzu said, “There is no place it does not exist.”
“You must be more specific!”
“It is in the ant.”
“As low a thing as that?”
“It is in the panic grass.”
“But that’s lower still!”
“It is in the tiles and shards.”
“How can it be so low?”
“It is in the piss and shit!”
Master Dongguo made no reply.4
