How wrong is our system?
I love Osho’s writings. He does come up with some superb stories to explain his points. Here is one of the fantastic stories from Osho on Lao Tzu (supposedly a 3000-year old story). This story is from his book on ‘Freedom’ where he explains and enlightens us on what is freedom. It is not freedom from something or freedom to do something, it is being oneself. He also talks about how the society and institutions have curbed the evolution of man and how they won’t exist if the individual evolves. Read this superb story.
Lao Tzu became very famous, a wise man, and he was without doubt one of the wisest man ever. The emperor of China asked him very humbly to become the chief justice of the supreme court, because nobody could guide the country’s laws better than he could. He tried to persuade the emperor, “I’m not the right man”, but the emperor was insistent.
Lao Tzu said, “If you don’t listen to me . . . just one day in the court and you will be convinced that I’m not the right man, because the system is wrong. Out of humbleness I was not saying the truth to you. Either I can exist or your law and your order and your society can exist. So . . . let us try it.”
The first day a thief who had stolen almost half of the treasures of the richest man in the capital was brought into the court. Lao Tzu listened to the case and then he said that the thief and the richest man should both go to jail for six months. The rich man said, “What are you saying? I have been stolen from, I have been robbed – what kind of justice is this, that you sending me to jail for the same amount of time as the thief?”
Lao Tzu said, “I am certainly being unfair to the thief. Your need to be in jail is greater because you have collected so much money to yourself, deprived so many people of money . . . thousands of people are downtrodden and you are collecting and collecting money. For what? Your very greed is creating the thieves. You are responsible. The first crime is yours.”
Lao Tzu’s logic is absolutely clear. If there are going to be too many people and only a few rich people, you cannot stop thieves, you cannot stop stealing. The only way to stop is to have a society where everybody has enough to fulfil his needs, and nobody has unnecessary accumulation just out of greed.
The rich man said, “Before you send me to jail I want to see the emperor, because this is not according to the constitution;this is not according to the laws of the country.” Lao Tzu said, “This is the fault of the constitution and the fault of the law of the country. I am not responsible for it. Go and see the emperor.”
The rich man said to the emperor, “Listen, this man should be immediately deposed from his post; he is dangerous. Today I am going to jail, tomorrow you will be in jail. If you want to save yourself, this man has to be thrown out; he is absolutely dangerous. And he is very rational. What he is saying is right; I can understand it – but he will destroy us!”
The emperor understood it perfectly well. “If this rich man is a criminal, then I am the greatest criminal in the country. Lao Tzu will not hesitate to send me to jail.” Lao Tzu was relieved of his post. He said, “I tried to tell you before; you are unnecessarily wasting my time. I told you I am not the right man. The reality is your society, your law, and your constitution are not right. You need wrong people to run the whole wrong system.”
Your comments please!
You need wrong people to run the whole wrong system
What a thought!!!
Is there something wrong with the system?
Why no responses to this topic?
Is this story for delivered for the wrong system!
Hi Shankar,
That was in China
) . . . A communist country !!!
May be Mr.Opinion should post our renown “Tenali Raman” stories…
SYSTEM…
I don’t agree on the point that ‘Wrong people required to run the wrong system’. Lao Tzu said & might be true in philosophical view but we are living & opted the system as per our livelihood & division of labour. Its our leaders or representatives and the people who are re-electing the wrong leaders to lead us & which made the system wrong.
When Lao Tzu is wise, the emperor should have seek his advice to correct the existing system instead of leading. Lao Tzu decision/explanation sounds like saint’s explanation to our existing system. If the rich man earned legitimately then it’s the thief’s greed to earn money unlawfully and its system failure for not creating right opportunities to educate & earn for every livelihood.
It’s we as a whole who formed & carved the system. If its working wrong then we should question ourselves why we are re-opting wrong people to run our system? Sometimes I wonder do we need these many political parties (India) to rule or take care or serve us.?
Well, the point here is, as per Osho, all systems are fundamentally wrong and artificial. There is no such thing called a ‘perfect system’ because of this thing called human nature. Just because we formed the system we need not have to defend it. As I had mentioned above, the systems and institutions do not promote evolution of thought. They do not want men/women to think too much.
It is fair that systems are required because you cannot expect all humans to be harmless to each other all the time. In principle, these systems regulate human behaviour while it also helps mankind evolve so that it does not need a system. What has happened unfortunately is that, the mankind has become a slave of the system, because the people who run the system have been all too powerful and the objective and agenda has completely changed.
No matter how legitimately money is earned, too much imbalance will always cause conflicts and crimes. This may not be an acceptable thought now as we all are the beneficiaries of the system and have become a slave to the system (though we may not want to admit).
When I say ’system’ I do include institutions like religion, politics, governments, boundaries, economies . . everything.’
Prithivi – Do you honestly believe that China was a communist country in 3000 BC
I do not want to talk about Democratic, Communist, Republican, Nazist policies & rules over here. It is because I do not know them and do not wish to know them. I am so very pratical and I believe things that I know alone. Imagine the world as a jungle and we being just another herbivorous mammal, powerless, thoughtless and weak. How long do you think we can survive? May be until we meet another animal which is more powerful than us. Think about the life of a chicken (65), a goat (Mutton Kabab) and a fish (gravy). It’s just the same. Who said chickens does not have a family? Who said goats does not have a wife? Who can prove that there is no government for them? Who can interpret their language when they die. But still all domestic animals (Not just them) are slaves for humans. We kill them when our taste bud urges (Ofcourse I am also a practical Non – vegetarian). Why there is no law to stop such murders? Who gave humans power to ride over all other living beings?
I only believe that world evolves with a simple rule – Strong Vs Weak. The world will always be beautiful if the strong can help the weak survive rather than the strong surviving over the weak. I only believe “Rules and policies” were framed by some strong beings to help and protect the weak beings. Well there are many strong beings who use the same rules to attack the weak beings as well. Remember it is a jungle out there and only clever beings who know the trick of survival can survive. This applies not just in India, not just in China, not in the World, not just in the Universe, not in 2000 but across all borders and all years to come………
I can only pray that a day will come when Strong starts helping for the survival of Weak….Or atleast Strong stop disturbing the survival of Weak!
Interesting outlook towards the inner sense of justice. A simple story with a profound meaning.
in todays global villlage this story is not valid.
this story is valid only where there are kingdoms, in kingdoms you means the common people dont have choice,they are are slaves of king and his family and his ministers.
about osho writeing i wanted to highlight is that osho himself said that the hungry man will never find the god or peace.
nice site.
Hi SM
I tend to disagree here. I think this story is still valid. Very very valid. You still find a lot of wrong systems around. You may not be able to lead the system if you’re a man of conscience. The only way is to change the system for which not everyone will be inclined. If you wonder why the best equipped people don’t end up in politics, there’s the answer. There’s a strong belief that only the wrong people will be able to run this wrong system.