The Path of Transcendence

Chuang Tzu inspires us to go from conformity to authentic being.

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Have you ever felt the unbearable weight of unspoken rules, the ones that dictate how you behave, mingle, or simply show up in the world?

In this post, we delve into Chuang Tzu’s social philosophy, where he inspires us to examine the very foundations of our everyday interactions.

Through a startling and well-known funeral allegory, we get to discover the hidden cost of conformity and encounter Chuang Tzu’s insight — a truly legitimate social order must nurture each individual’s natural growth and authentic being.

At its heart, Chuang Tzu’s social thought wrestles with this age-old question: What if trying to fit in betrays our authentic self?

It is here that the notion of transcendence arises, allowing us to see through the illusion of “acceptable” behavior and discover a carefree, more authentic way of staying true to ourselves while living among others.

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We are the products of our realities. Our specific social and cultural conditions can significantly shape who we are, our worldviews, and our ways of life.

It’s necessary to become familiar with the customs and rules of a particular environment so we can mingle with it and facilitate our living.

Yet, most often, the existing social order, with its changing conditions, can evolve in specific directions, causing a sense of disconnect and unease among its members.

This applies to macro and micro social circumstances. In small social circles, such as work settings or family and friends, there are always some invisible yet functional rules and norms imposed on every participant. To be part of the social group, you are required to play by the rules of the game. Otherwise, being sidelined or even excommunicated is unavoidable.

On a macro level, if you do not abide by the informal rules of a particular society or question the validity of prevailing opinions on some social matters, then you are placing yourself in the context of one against many confrontations.

On an existential level, you are in a challenging situation because your sense of belonging is being questioned. You feel uprooted from a particular society.

From your perspective, the social game and its default ways of interaction still function well. Yet, you see through its foundation — a delicate illusion to make the unconscious continue their usual ways of life.

No wonder we sympathize with the protagonist, Truman Burbank, in “The Truman Show.” We know that his entire life is based on a scripted lie, carefully manufactured and arranged. His family, work, and social relations have been set up for him since birth. On the surface, it seems he cannot break away from such a comprehensive control.

Unless some unbelievable genius of human agency and creativity encourages him to wake up, otherwise he is doomed for life, sleepwalking daily.

The moment he starts getting detached from the rules and norms defined by circumstances and others, he can finally face the nature of reality.

This leads us to a few questions: Can we see through the shackles imposed on us by the social order? To what extent can we bear with a distorted reality we do not resonate with? And what do we do about it? Let’s first look at Chuang Tzu’s allegory.

The dilemma of conformity

In ancient times, there lived three Taoists. The three became close friends due to shared values and worldviews.

Sometime later, the one named Zisanghu died. His friends came to his funeral, but their visit was different from other guests.

Upon hearing the sad news, Confucius sent his disciple, Zigong, to assist with the funeral. To the surprise of everyone, the two Taoists did not abide by the ritual practices during the funeral, which was a conventional and acceptable way of commemorating their friend.

Instead, the two friends’ behavior shocked Zigong, as one of the men was weaving frames for silkworms, the other strumming a lute, and they sang in unison,

‘Hey-ho, Sang-hu!

Hey-ho, Sang-hu!

You’ve gone back to being what one truly is,

But we go on being human, O!’

Zigong hurried forward and asked,

‘May I ask what sort of rites this is, singing in the presence of the corpse?’

The two men exchanged glances and smiled. ‘What does he know about the meaning of the rites 禮意?’¹