Taoism: Action Versus Inaction

Term Paper Title	Taoism: Action Versus Inaction
# of Words	606
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.42

Taoism: Action Versus Inaction

     The Star Trek The Next Generation episode: "Booby Trap" shows a perfect
example of Taoist thought. The crew of the Enterprise is always taking some
action in order to achieve a specific goal. This episode shows that through
inaction you can sometimes achieve far more than you could through action. The
mind of the physical senses cannot grasp the concepts of the unnameable.  The
crew of the Enterprise learn a valuable lesson on the nature of decision making
and how to do without doing anything.
     The Enterprise is caught in an ancient trap that uses the starships own
power supply to destroy its occupants. The answer to the trap is to shut down
the engines; by generating no power the trap is overcome. Taoism is a philosophy
based on inaction: "Therefore the Master acts without doing anything and teaches
without saying anything."(Tao Te Ching pg. 2)
     When the true nature of the trap is revealed, Ryker states "If we resist
we die. If we don't resist we die."  Neither action nor inaction was the key to
salvation. Ryker's statement was based on a physical world; the Tao goes beyond
action or inaction of a physical sense. The Tao Te Ching states, "the Master
does nothing, yet leaves nothing undone."(pg. 38) The Master does not rely on
the world of the senses to decide her action.
     Everything the crew of the enterprise tried to do was based on
overpowering the trap. "More energy, faster adjustments. But that's exactly what
we can't do because that's what we're supposed to do."(Star Trek La Forge) All
of the attempts to overcome the trap were based on action, trying to do
something about the problem.  The Tao teaches us to "Stop thinking and end your
problems." The answer  to all things surrounds us; but cannot be grasped by the
physical senses. The trap was symbolic of life; n...

Read entire document