On Chuang-Tzu

I had a friend years ago, Dave, who annoyed me to no end. He had the ability to answer any question with the inverse of it's terms, as in, "Did you turn on the lamp, or did the lamp turn you on?" I am under the impression that he had been reading Chuang-Tsu, the trickster of Chinese philosophy.

What better way to describe the indescribable than to speak with poetic absurdity? Even more effective is the absolute and childlike simplicity of the inverse statement, which he uses to masterfully explain the non-linear, Dao. Chuang-Tsu recognizes the impossibility of trying to explain this existence with language that is ill-suited for universal description. He understands more than most that no manifestation of Dao can be written of with any direct verbiage; much like the statistician attempts a probability solution, Dao can only be described by what it is not.

"And someday there will be a great awakening when we know that this is all a great dream. Yet the stupid believe they are awake, busily and brightly assuming they understand things, calling this man ruler, that one herdsman--how dense! Confucius and you are both dreaming! And when I say you are dreaming, I am dreaming too."

As the world unfolds, it does so with no expectation of understanding. Thus should we be: simple, alive, witnessing the world rise, enfolding us as we enfold the world. We know nothing if we learn anything.

Dammnit. I have become Dave. Or has Dave become me?