Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).
‘Following people with joy means there are things to be done, and so Corruption follows. Corruption means things to be done.’ I need an explanation for this...
Fixing or Arresting Decay is a little peculiar here since the problems have come from things being fixed, arrested, stuck or stagnant in pathological patterns and thus decaying for the lack of refreshing movement and vitality. Correction, then, involves putting things back in motion. Gu is a Janus word in this context, meaning both toxins and the recovery from toxins. Historically, Gu was a dark magic poison: one put a venomous snake, a scorpion, a spider, a lizard and a centipede together in a bowl. Then the remains of the last survivor were used to make a slave, cause insanity or work evil (young boys make this kind of concoction all the time, though actual creatures used may vary). This is Bad Medicine: not fresh, not alive and not changing. The idea of correcting injurious fixations in one's own lineage may have been sensitive at the time in the light of traditions of filial piety and reverence for the ancestors. The Zhouyi authors might have been taking an opportunity to broaden the spirit of this tradition by calling it a form of respect to improve one's lineage and in the process become better ancestors ourselves.
Clarity,
Office 17622,
PO Box 6945,
London.
W1A 6US
United Kingdom
Phone/ Voicemail:
+44 (0)20 3287 3053 (UK)
+1 (561) 459-4758 (US).