A research paper on Zoroastrianism and Taoism and what you think their views on Social Security and Medicare (government funded aid) would be with multiple examples from scriptures. Please don’t intermingle the two religions, keep one section completely about Zoroastrianism and one completely about Taoism. We can’t use wikipedia as a source.
I work 10am-11pm tomorrow but will be available by text or email if you have any questions. THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!
Here is an example of an old paper that got good reviews by a teacher, it needs to be a similar format please!
Taoism and Caring for the Elderly
Taoist rejection of possessiveness and the ego supports the idea of welfare programs for the elderly because such an act would not be materialistically possessive. Wealth is perishable, and “the pursuit of pleasures deranges the mind of man”1 and harm’s one’s body and soul. The most common objections for supporting government programs to care for the aged come from a place of possessiveness and greed. Supporting the aged is a form of detached compassion, in contrast to the attached possessiveness of wealth.2 Taoism’s ideal being, the sage, “does not hoard. The more he does for others, The more he has. The more he thereby gives to others, The ever more he gets.”3 Where greed and egotism rule, there is little room for “compassion on a social scale,”4 and there is “no fault greater than the wish to be getting.”5 To support government welfare programs for the aged would be to act as the Tao Te Ching urges, and “Lessen selfishness and restrain desires.”6 [Marshall]
Taoist support of caring for the elderly can also be found in the importance of compassion. In the Tao Te Ching, it states:
“I have three treasures that I cherish. The first is compassion. The second is moderation. The third is not claiming to be first in the world. By compassion one can be brave. By moderation one can be generous. By not claiming to be first in the world one can rule. But to be brave without compassion, Generous without moderation, And rule without refraining from being first in the world Are certain deaths.”7
Chapter 13 of the Tao Te Ching also states that “he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.”8 To support the aged through programs such as social security and medicare would be to honor and love the aged citizens. This form of compassionate leadership, not motivated by selfish ambition, was practiced by the Dongyue Miao, a collection of Taoist temples in the Chinese empire, whose Daoist masters who served as government officials and “gave medical, moral, and philosophical advice.”9 In the Tao Te Ching, the sage is presented in the ideal selfless, virtuous nature.
“The sage has no concern for himself, But makes the concerns of others his own. He is good to those who are good. He is also good to those who are not good.That is the virtue of good…That is the virtue of faithfulness. The sage is one with the world, And lives in harmony with it. People turn their eyes and ears to him, And the sage cares for them like his own children.”10
Te in the Tao Te Ching is best translated to English as “virtue,” the Chinese dual meaning being “human goodness as well as the inherent power in things.”11 Thus the Taoist conception of the ideal being as well as Taoism’s ancient source text would seem to support human goodness, which can include support for programs to care for the elderly. [Marshall]
The naturalist tzu-jan and wu wei elements of Taoism can also be used to support programs for the aged. Tzu-jan, or “of itself so” encompasses the connection between all things, in which “all things have mutually arisen (haisng-shan) and therefore mutually create and sustain one another.12 This sense of oneness should invoke the reaction to care for the aged, as the Tao Te Ching says “See others as yourself. See families as your family. See towns as your town. See countries as your country. See worlds as your world.”13 Although the concept of wu wei literally means “no action,” and thus could be used to argue against government or personal intervention, it is more appropriately translated to mean “act naturally.”14 In this regard, “to be persistently progressive, one must know when to be active and when to be passive.”15 Caring for the elderly isn’t an act that would destructively disrupt the natural order of things. Caring for one another is “in accordance with our nature,” the perfect action of wu wei, and “perfect activity leaves no track behind it.”16 Wu wei implies rejection of competition and regards humility, and there exists a Taoist image of being “Selfless as melting ice.”17 [Marshall]
[Excellent, Molly! Great quotes and good writing. The only problem is that it was submitted late (-5 pts.)
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1. Yip, Dr Kam-shing. “TAOISM AND ITS IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH OF THE CHINESE COMMUNITIES.” The University of Hawaii. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
2. “Jos – Tao Te Ching Compassion.” Jos – Tao Te Ching Compassion. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
3. Lao-tzu. “Tao Te Ching.” – Translated by J. Legge. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
4. See Footnote 2
5. See Footnote 3
6. “Tao Te Ching 19.” Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Translated and Explained. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
7. “Tao Te Ching 67.” Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Translated and Explained. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
8. See Footnote 3
9. “Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
10. “Tao Te Ching 49.” Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Translated and Explained. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
11. Lin, Derek. “Tao Te Ching About the Title.” True Tao. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
12. Boldt, Laurence G. “The Five Fingers of the Tao.” The Tao of Abundance. New York: Penguin/Arkana, 1999. Print.
13. “Tao Te Ching 54.” Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Translated and Explained. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
14. See Footnote 9
15. See Footnote 1
16. Kurtz, Lester R. “Religious Life in China and East Asia-Taoism.” Gods in the Global Village: The World’s Religions in Sociological Perspective. Thousand Oaks Calif.: Pine Forge, 1995. Print.
17. Smith, Huston. “Taoism.” The Illustrated World’s Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. “Ill, Ed., 1st ed. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, a Division of HarperCollinsPublishers, 1994. Print.
