Daoist Wisdom for a Divisive Age
Oct 1
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Bernard Shannon
Modern politics in many parts of the world is marked by a dangerous mixture of divisiveness, vitriol, and a striking lack of tolerance. Public discourse has shifted from dialogue to hostility, where ideological opponents treat one another as enemies rather than neighbors. This climate erodes trust, undermines cooperation, and prevents the resolution of collective challenges. While political theorists and psychologists offer many analyses of this polarization, ancient wisdom traditions also have much to contribute. Among them, the Dao De Jing of Laozi, a foundational text of Daoism, provides profound insights into the causes of divisiveness and pathways toward reconciliation.
Although composed in China more than two millennia ago, the Dao De Jing speaks with striking relevance to today’s political culture. Its verses critique artificial moralism, rigid righteousness, and combative speech, while uplifting humility, compassion, and unity. Taken together, several chapters outline a Daoist ethic that can soften political vitriol and nurture tolerance.
Losing the Dao: The Root of Division
Laozi observes that social disharmony begins when natural alignment with the Dao is lost. Chapter 18 states:
When the great Dao is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness appear.
When wisdom and knowledge arise, great hypocrisy follows.
When societies drift from authenticity and natural order, artificial systems of morality emerge.
“Benevolence” and “righteousness” may sound virtuous, but they are compensatory constructs, imposed when society is already estranged from simplicity. Laozi states they signal decline. Likewise, the proliferation of knowledge and cleverness can mask hypocrisy rather than resolve it.
They divide people into camps of “just” and “unjust,” creating contention rather than harmony. In modern politics, this is visible in moralized rhetoric and ideological purity tests, which harden divisions and foster hostility.
For Laozi, the fixation on moral codes and external propriety is not the height of civilization but a sign of decay. Modern politics offers an echo of this diagnosis: when ideological camps weaponize moral slogans, insisting on their own “righteousness,” they often deepen hostility rather than heal division.
Rejecting False Morality: The Call to Simplicity
If divisiveness arises from rigid righteousness and hollow virtue, the remedy is not to double down on moral codes but to return to simplicity and naturalness. Chapter 19 counsels:
Abandon benevolence, discard righteousness,
and the people will return to natural love.
The goal is not to reject goodness itself, but to transcend the rigid categories that fracture society. When society becomes obsessed with competing definitions of justice, compassion, or patriotism, it fosters factionalism.
Laozi invites us to rediscover a simpler, more direct way of relating — one rooted in shared humanity rather than in abstract codes. For today’s political culture, this could mean prioritizing cooperation, common needs, and lived reality over partisan definitions of virtue.
The Heart of Empathy: Tolerance over Vitriol
Tolerance requires more than withdrawing from false moral codes. It requires cultivating a generous heart. Chapter 49 offers a radical ethic of empathy:
The good I treat with goodness.
The not-good I also treat with goodness.
Thus, goodness is attained.
This teaching speaks directly to today’s politics of vitriol. In an age where opponents are often demonized, Laozi offers an ethic of radical empathy — meeting hostility not with retaliation but with patience and compassion. Far from weakness, this is the strength that prevents cycles of enmity from spiraling further.
In times of division, endless argument often hardens positions rather than resolving them. The sage chooses silence, softening sharpness rather than escalating it. This counsel suggests that tolerance sometimes means refusing to fuel divisive debates, instead cultivating calm presence and quiet action.
Honest Words and Generous Action
What then are the ethical foundations for overcoming divisiveness? The Dao De Jing identifies them in its most explicit teaching on virtue: Chapter 67, the “Three Treasures.”
I have three treasures that I guard and cherish:
The first is compassion.
The second is frugality.
The third is not daring to be first in the world.
Compassion provides the courage to care even for those who oppose us. Frugality, understood as simplicity and moderation, resists the greed that often drives political corruption. Humility—refusing to push oneself forward—contrasts with the arrogance and ambition that so often inflame divisive politics.
Finally, Chapter 81 offers guidance on speech and action:
Finally, Chapter 81 offers guidance on speech and action:
True words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not true.
Good people do not argue; those who argue are not good.
The sage does not hoard.
The more they give to others, the more they have.
This passage speaks directly to political rhetoric. In an era of sound bites, slogans, and media spectacle, Laozi reminds us that honesty is often plain rather than ornamental. Argument is not the measure of goodness; generosity is. By prioritizing truthfulness and service, leaders and citizens can transcend vitriol and restore trust.
Conclusion
The Dao De Jing offers a profound yet simple response to political divisiveness. Chapter 18 diagnoses the problem which is artificial moral codes emerge when Dao is lost, breeding division. Chapter 19 prescribes a return to simplicity, dissolving rigid perspectives and labels in favor of natural connection. Chapter 49 urges tolerance through empathy, treating even opponents with goodness. Chapters 67 and 81 ground ethical life in honesty and generosity, rejecting manipulative speech and selfishness.
Together, these teachings sketch a path away from vitriol and intolerance toward a politics of simplicity, empathy, and truthfulness. In a fractured age, Laozi’s wisdom remains strikingly relevant: unity arises not through louder arguments or stricter codes, but through softening hostility, practicing compassion, and speaking plainly. The sage does not conquer opponents but transforms them through generosity. The path is to cultivate the virtues that dissolve enmity: compassion, humility, and sincerity.
The Dao De Jing thus remains a timely guide. Its paradoxical wisdom reminds us that only by letting go of rigid righteousness can society rediscover tolerance. Only by softening contention, can we restore unity. Only by practicing compassion, can we find the courage to heal divisions. In this way, an ancient text points toward a politics of wholeness sorely needed in our fractured world.
The Alternative
The simple alternative to what has been outlined above is to languish. In Chapter 53 speaks to this:
Were I sufficiently wise
I would follow the Great Way
and only fear going astray
the Great Way is smooth
but people love byways
As the Dao is the natural course of existence, reactive thoughts and actions, projection of disharmonies onto others, and indulging pride, ego, and arrogance keep you separated from Source (God/Divine). To remove your painful experience shelter yourself in self-awareness and reach for alignment.
If you believe that you are happy, joyous or tolerant but easily fall to rage, unmask your pains of anger, hate, fear, and shame, Remove the veneer that masks controlling your internal pains and heal them with transformation and self-accountability instead. Work for peace in your heart, act with virtue, and feel your Spirit grounded in the Earth while listening to the will of Heaven. There is no timeline for your transformation, but you can reach for peace instead of languishment.
To see where you stand: (1) re-read this article; (2) examine your hypocrisies of emotion and thought, (3) review your values and life purpose; and (4) find a practice that will actually work towards purging your acquired emotions, tempering your ego, and training your mind to surrender to Spirit. This is a beginning.
If you believe that you are happy, joyous or tolerant but easily fall to rage, unmask your pains of anger, hate, fear, and shame, Remove the veneer that masks controlling your internal pains and heal them with transformation and self-accountability instead. Work for peace in your heart, act with virtue, and feel your Spirit grounded in the Earth while listening to the will of Heaven. There is no timeline for your transformation, but you can reach for peace instead of languishment.
To see where you stand: (1) re-read this article; (2) examine your hypocrisies of emotion and thought, (3) review your values and life purpose; and (4) find a practice that will actually work towards purging your acquired emotions, tempering your ego, and training your mind to surrender to Spirit. This is a beginning.