Page 12 - My FlipBook

That belief system was built on the concept of people living in har-
mony, not only with other people but also with the universe’s natu-
ral fl ow of events. That is, Taoists sought to avoid willful behavior
that disrupted the normal, tranquil order of life. They tried instead
to be unselfi sh and to put the greater good of the community over
the individual person’s selfi sh desires. Since the normal order of
life in those days featured kingdoms ruled by kings and emperors
with complex government administrations, it seemed only right to
picture the gods and their mythical lives as mirroring the “natural”
earthly system. It was Taoism, therefore, that most promoted the
myths of the Jade Emperor and his heavenly court advisers.

A modern drawing
depicts the fth-
century BCE Chinese
philosopher Confucius,
who advocated that
people should maintain
high ethical standards
and always try to do
the right thing. His
ideas are re ected in
many myths.