tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Aug 22 08:08:35 2000
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Re: tlhIngan "Tao" ?
taj'IH chopwI' wrote:
>
> My question:
> What would be a good tlhIngan Hol representation of Tao?
>
> I have been thinking about:
> - (tlhIngan) tIgh : the (Klingon) custom/ way (TKW)
> - ghob: ethics/ virtue (TKW)
for literality's sake, i'd go for <He> (or maybe <He'a'>).. if we're
translating meaning, i'd prefer:
<chenmoHtaHwI'> - that which is always causing [things] to take form
(the tao contains all things in potentiality, good and evil, female and
male, light and dark, creative and destructive)
or
<Doch ponglaHbogh pagh> - the thing which cannot be named (to 'name'
something means more than just to give it a label - it is to place it in
some sort of context and/or hierarchy of entites - especially in ancient
Chinese thought, i believe. the tao is completely beyond context or
hierarchy. 'the tao which can be explained is not the true tao; the tao
which can be named is not the true tao.')
> I favor ghob - it denotes "a particularly valued quality or a form of
> behavior exemplifies moral correctness, as defined by a society"
> The moral part disturbs me a little, perhaps this is just a Federation
> misinterpretation :-)
> Otherwise, ghob seems just right, especially when you look at the context
> in various TKW proverbs:
> "Adhere to Virtue honorably" : batlh ghob yIpab
> "Virtue is the reward" : pop 'oH ghob'e'
>
> So Virtue / ghob is a greater quality than the single person and his needs,
> also something beyond mere law. (A situation is conceivable that following
> Virtue honorably might mean breaking a law.)
i do not like <ghob> as a translation because TKW specifically defines
'adhering [pab] to virtue [<ghob>]' as 'behav[ing] in a way Klingons
consider morally righteous' and, although i am not a taoist, i do not
believe that the tao would correspond very closely at all to klingon
'virtue', or what they consider righteous.
is it not the case that klingon culture values action, aggression...
butlh..? on the other hand, i believe that taoism favours humility;
compassion; mercy; empathy; wu-wei, 'non-action'; allowing things to
take their natural course; seeking to become completely open to the tao,
surrendering onself to it so that it can work through one. 'stand like
the mountain, flow like the stream, bend with the wind like the reed.'
the klingon way seems diametrically opposed to these. take these few
sayings from TKW:
- DabuQlu'DI' yISuv ("when threatened, fight")
- bI'IQchugh, yIvang! ("if you are sad, act!" - "..for a Klingon,
activity and vigour are associated with a sense of elation, while
unhappiness is often connected to passivity or even laziness, character
traits disdained by Klingons")
- Dubotchugh yIpummoH ("if it's in your way, knock it down" -
"..illustrating the Klingon penchant for action and for taking
control..")
- mataHmeH maSachnIS ("to survive, we must expand")
- Hem tlhIngan Segh 'ej maHemtaH 'e' wIHech ("Klingons are a proud race,
and we intend to go on being proud")
- bISuv 'e' yIwIv; bISutlh 'e' yIwIvQo' ("choose to fight, not
negotiate")
- pung ghap HoS ("mercy or power" - "[the use of <ghap>] implies that
one must choose between mercy and power; they are incompatible")
the one that struck me the most, though, was:
- SuvmeH 'ej charghmeH bogh tlhInganpu' ("Klingons are born to fight and
conquer")
again, i'm no taoist, but i'm certain that they do not believe they are
born to "fight and conquer" - quite the opposite, in fact!
taghqIj