Two Sides of a Coin ─ Lao Tze's Common Sense Way of Change

The 2014 edition of Two Sides is dedicated to the Millennial Generation. Though it may seem as if they've been economically disenfranchised by their elders, material misfortune on the surface of the Positive Paradigm wheel contains within it the hidden seeds of long-term survival. Ours isn't the first time in the repeating cycles of history that leaders have squandered our national resources. But in the context of Lao Tze's larger reality, material success isn't as important as neglected inner wealth. The Millennials are the ones for whom results of the current conflict paradigm are so catastrophically dysfunctional that they have no vested interests to protect. They're the ones prepared to move forward once again into the past, recovering the timeless treasure of the Positive Paradigm buried deep within in the Tao te Ching's wisdom.They've been given the hidden opportunity to dig deep, rediscover their inalienable inner resources and become the agents of genuine, positive change.The Tao Te Ching’s origins are enveloped in mystery. Some date it as far back as 6,000 B.C. Others put the time closer to 4,000 B.C. But most agree that it emerged in China over two thousand years ago during a period of prolonged civil wars, the same social conditions that also produced another classic, Sun Tze’s The Art of War. In ancient China, it was common practice to attribute literary works either to the reigning emperor or to mythical figures, adding an aura of importance and mystery. In this case, the writing is credited to an author called Lao Tze, an epithet translated as “Old Man,” "the Ancient Child," or "the Citizen of Everywhere."