Understanding Man And Nature With Nausicca
One of the most important thing to the ancient Taoists (and contemporary Taoists, for that matter) was Nature, the world around us. Taoists not only respected nature, but revered it; it is a holy entity. Understanding the relationship of man and nature is a core concept of Taoism. And what better way to do that than by examining Hayao Miyazaki's apocalyptic masterpiece, Nausicca Of The Valley Of The Wind.
All throughout time, people of all faiths have looked to the world around them for answers. The Confucianists saw the world as disorderly, chaotic; they sought to put order to it by creating elaborate riutals and systems of manners, which they saw as mirroring the way of Heaven.
The Buddhists saw the world as false, an illusion, which, if you could see past it, would reveal great mysteries and the secret to living a peaceful life.
The Taoists were different. They saw the world not as an illusion, not as chaotic, but as holy within itself. They sought to mimc nature, to observe and note it's laws, and then apply these to their own daily lives. Taoists feel that if they can integrate themselves with the world around them, they will live happy, peaceful lives. And they're right.
But instead of just barreling on ahead, let's take a moment to review Nausicca of The Valley Of The Wind.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of Nausicca, it tells the tale of a young girl, princess of a sort of barony that is striving to survive in a world that has suffered through a great cataclysm known as the "Seven Day's of Fire", where giant warrior-gods destroyed the industrailized world. Now, most of the earth has been taken over by the Wastelands, which sprout poisonous spores and are home to giant hordes of angry bugs with bad attitudes.
Now, a convenient way of explaining what is good about following some Taoist concepts is showing what happens when you DONT follow them. Nausicca's world is a great example of this.
In Nausicca's world (which is, quite arguably, our world a while down the proverbial line), the great cataclysm came because of rampant industrailization. The days of fire came to cleanse the world of all it's pollution and other vices that accompany big business when it's goes much too far.
What's a good message to gleam from this bit of Nausicca history? Or from Akira? Or from practically any anime ever made (complete and utter destruction of a super-industrialized city, often called "Neo-Tokyo", is not a rare theme in anime series...)? Try this on for size: Respect the planet. Respect nature. Or Nature will kick you in the butt.
Sounds pretty obvious, right? But you'd be surprised how many of us go against this every day, in greater and lesser forms. Like many Taoist teachings, it is deceivingly simple yet surprisingly complex.
So let's examine a non-anime example of this seemingly simple yet complex concept.
Once, a Taoist master sat with his diciples at the edge of a large, raging river. Suddenly, one of the diciples stood up and shouted that an elderly man had been caught in the river. Helpeless, the party watched as the man tumbled over rocks, was dunked under water, and thrown about by the current. Assuming that he had been killed, they were astonished to see the old man climb out of the river, completely unharmed. Surprised. the master walked up to the man, and said:
"You have survived a very treacherous peril. You must be some sort of spirit!"
The old man simply laughed a kind laugh and replied:
"No, no. I've been doing that since I was a boy. I simply let the river take me. I dont struggle, I dont thrash about. I simply place myself in the river's care, and the river takes care of me."
So let's examine this little tale. The man knew that if he struggled against the river, he'd be destroyed by it. Instead, he relented; he didn't change the river, he learned to adapt to it.
Now consider Nausicca: people abuse the planet they're on; they pollute it, they tear it apart, and in retaliation, the god-warriors turn the world into the wastelands.
Nature is great. It is larger in it's scope and more powerful than any human being could ever conceive. It cannot be tamed by human hand; It just is, and we have to learn to live with it.
But nature also follows certain rules; it obeys certain laws, that, if applied to your own life, will help you through life like the elderly man in the river (albeit less soggy).
People tend to think nature is evil, or malicious. They see a threatening storm, or they see an earthquake, or they're afraid of bears, or of bats, or of any number of things.
It's true; nature can be harmful. Nature can be big and malicious and cause pain. But nature, like everything else in the universe, exists in duality. It has both a good side and a bad side. The storm replenishes crops. Bats feed on annoying insects. The seemingly evil and malicious always exist for a practical reason.
Let's look at Nausicca again. In Nausicca, the Wastelands are large and menacing. Their poison spores frighten the rest of the human race; they fear that the last non-wasteland areas will be swallowed up. In their fear, they act hastily, and try to destroy the wastelands all together by reviving the last god-warrior (which, of course, didn't 
work. Not only did the god warrior not even really WORK, they had to deal with a giant Ohmu stampede, pictured to the right. If YOU ever have the chance to revive a god warrior, I would have to advise against it).
But the Wastelands weren't as devious as everyone believed. Nausicca discovers that the "evil" wastelands that everyone fears are actually purifying the sand they rest on; giant caves of posion free air and sand lie under them. The wastelands are healing the world, not destroying it.
As fanciful as Nausicca might seem, we come closer and closer to mirroring it every day. Corporations dump posions into the soil and ocean, forests are decimated, animals are mercilessly slaughtered and abused. Despite recent actions to protect the environment, we still abuse our world beyond it's ability to heal itself. We seem to view the world as some endless cookie jar, where we can simply reach in take what we please.
The world is not apart from us. The world is not an endless stream of resources for our use; it is not a giant, malevolant deity. It creates us, it nourishes us, and it supports us. The Taoists believed that union with the laws of nature would lead to happiness and an easier life. If you can observe and mimc nature, you will have grasped the secret the Taoists have hoarded for so long; that man cannot swim upstream againt the power of nature, only learn how to swim with it.
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