“La Virtù, simile all’acqua, prendendo senza lottare la forma di ogni cosa, ad ogni cosa è adeguata”
“Virtue, like water, takes the shape of everything without struggle, adapting to everything”
(Tao Te Ching, Book I, VIII. Translated into English from Italian by Julius Evola, 1922)
This famous quote highlights the idea of Virtue in Taoism, comparing it to water for its ability to adapt seamlessly, flowing and taking the shape of whatever it meets. In the 5th century BCE, Lao Tzu poetically captured the essence of fluids.
The ideal companion for any type of container, it seamlessly adjusts to alterations in form while preserving its core characteristics: mass, density, and volume. It elegantly adapts, consistently reliable; a liter remains a liter, regardless of the vessel it occupies. Water never misleads those who genuinely strive to comprehend it, offering clarity and transparency to those who seek its nature.
Its unique ability to conform to any shape distinguishes it, allowing it to completely and uniformly envelop any submerged object. This soft and encompassing nature often leads to misconceptions, beginning with ancient Chinese culture, which frequently associates water exclusively with the feminine symbol “yin.”
In certain situations and specific contexts, water truly exhibits yin properties:
Fluidity and Adaptability: As previously mentioned, water is fluid and molds to any shape or container. This characteristic embodies a yin quality, symbolizing softness, flexibility, and adaptability, commonly linked to the feminine.
Nourishment and Life: Water is vital for life. Without water, no living being can survive. This ability to nourish and sustain life is considered a yin aspect, associated with the capacity to nurture and generate life, much like a maternal figure.
Depth and Mystery: The waters of the oceans and rivers, in their depths, are shrouded in an aura of darkness and mystery. The yin embodies the hidden and enigmatic aspect of the universe, contrasting with the clarity and brightness of the yang.
Calm and Introspection: Still water, like that of a lake or a quiet river, symbolizes tranquility and introspection, qualities typically associated with yin, which embodies silence and inner reflection.
Although water is primarily associated with yin in Chinese philosophy, there are aspects of water that can also be seen as yang, the masculine and active principle. Here are some reasons:
- Strength and Power: Water possesses immense strength. Consider waterfalls, river currents, and ocean waves. This strength and power embody yang aspects, which are active, dynamic, and full of energy.
- Movement and Dynamism: Although water can be calm, it is often in motion. Waves, tides, and currents are examples of how water is always active. This dynamism is a typical characteristic of yang, which represents movement and change.
- Sublimation and Transformation: Water has the ability to transform into vapor and rise upwards, an ascending movement associated with yang. This process of transformation and sublimation represents the yang side of water.
- Penetration and Penetrability: Water has the ability to penetrate through hard materials like rock, eroding and shaping the landscape over time. This penetrative power is an active and aggressive action, characteristic of yang.
Therefore, while water is primarily yin due to its fluid, nurturing, and calm nature, it can also exhibit yang characteristics through its strength, dynamism, and transformative ability. It is this duality that makes water such a fascinating and versatile element in Chinese philosophy.
Archimedes of Syracuse, in the 3rd century BC, explored this phenomenon, going beyond Lao Tzu’s philosophical and ethical considerations by discovering the principle of buoyancy.
Archimede scopri i
Since then, activities like floating or sinking could also be explained in scientific terms…but how can propulsion be explained?