Zhuangzi on road rage (river rage?) March 3, 2010

I’m not big on having “favorites,” but if I had to name some favorite books, there’s no doubt that the Zhuangzi would be in my top 5.  Simply put, I think that it’s one of the most brilliant, insightful, and witty pieces of literature that I’ve read in any language.  This is a short passage that I often have occasion to ponder as I am slogging through my daily commute.  I can say with complete confidence that, ever since I got my drivers’ license (at the tender age of 31), driving in Southern California has become the single largest source of stress and affliction in my life.  So, when I find myself raging at that Prius driver who insists on doing 60mph in the fast lane, I think of this passage and try to put some perspective on the situation.

Anyone interested in reading more on the Zhuangzi should check out the excellent translation done by Victor H. Mair, entitled Wandering on the Way.  Prof. Mair is one of the most meticulous and thorough translators of Chinese literature, and I think that his translation really captures the feel of the original text.

The passage is from chapter 20, “The Mountain Tree.”  The context is a conversation between a sage named Master South-of-the-Market, and a feudal lord, the Marquis of Lu.  The Marquis complains that he has done all that he can to pursue learning (the terminology used suggests a Confucian-style education) – study the ways of the ancient kings, cultivate the actions of a gentleman, pay his respects to the spirits of former worthies – but still he suffers from various troubles.  The sage explains that the Marquis’ worries are due to his position and status; for example, the fox and the wildcat, as cautious and circumspect as they may be, can never avoid the troubles brought on by hunters, who desire their pelts.  This resonates with one of the major themes of this chapter, which is that the more useful and valuable one makes oneself, through the conventional pursuit of learning, rank, status, etc., the more trouble one suffers as a result.  Thus, “those who possess others are entangled, and those who are seen as possessed by others are full of worries.”  Finally, Master South-of-the-Market offers this piece of sage advice:

If one were crossing a river in a pontoon, and an empty craft floated over and brushed against their boat, then even an ill-tempered person would not become angry.  However, if there was someone on the offending craft, the pontoon pilot would shout at them to pull in their vessel; if they did not hear the first shout, he would shout again; if they did not hear the second shout, he would follow by hurling insults at them.  In the first case, he would not become angry, but in this case he does become angry; this is because, in the first case the offending craft was empty, and in this case it is full.  If a person can empty him/herself in roaming about the world, who could harm them?