BETWEEN LIFE & DEATH
2017
PART I
Weapons of war are instruments of disaster.
They are rejected by all beings.
Thus a person of Tao will not dwell upon them.
According to the ancient custom of Ying and Yang,
A man of virtue values the left which is represented by Yang.
And a man of war values the right which is represented by Ying.
Weapons are instruments of evil, and are not valued by a man of virtue.
They are only used as the last resort to attain peace when all else have failed.
If their use is necessary, it is best to employ with calmness and tranquility.
Even it if means victory, it is not something pleasant.
Those who rejoice over the victory, enjoy killing.
He who delights in killing will not be favored by the people and shall not bring harmony to the world.
It is the ancient custom to favor happy events to the left as represented by yang.
While on sad occasions, it is favored to the right as represented by Ying.
When this rite is applied in the army,
The lieutenant general takes the place of the left,
And the commander-in-chief takes the place of the right.
This indicates that war is treated as if it is a funeral service;
For many lives had been killed and hence should be mourned with sorrow.
Therefore, although a victory was won,
It is treated like funeral rite.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter Thirty-one
War lets loose all the destructive forces of mankind against itself. What kind of insanity is this? War takes any meaning and breeds emptiness. A person’s mind, traumatized after the war, reminds of these deserted landscapes, that continue its existence misunderstood and forgotten, storing the memories of war.
One who assists the ruler with the principle of Tao,
Will not use the force of arms to conquer the world.
For such affairs will result in cause and effect.
Wherever the armies touch the land, it is turned into a wasteland of thorns and brambles.
After a war is fought, bad years are sure to follow.
Therefore, one who follows the true nature will understand the principle of cause and effect and shall not rely upon the strength of force.
By knowing the effect, thus one will not brag.
By knowing the effect, thus one will not boast.
By knowing the effect, thus one will not become arrogant.
By knowing the effect, although one has no choice, one still abides with the principle of cause and effect and does not resolve into force.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter Thirty
‘Between Life and Death’ is a reflection on wars, in which the humankind has been mired in. On the photos, you can see the territories of Eastern Ukraine devastated by the war. Areas that had recently witnessed bloody clashes, now stood abandoned in absolute silence. Schools, hospitals, factories, checkpoints - they looked like forgotten monuments of war.
A good warrior does not lose his temper.
A great conqueror does not challenge others.
A good leader is humble.
This is called the virtue of peace with no contention.
This is also regarded as competence to make good use of the effort of people.
Such is regarded as achieving harmony with nature.
Such is the perfect Oneness of true nature.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter Sixty-eight
When a man is alive, he is soft and supple.
When he dies, the body becomes hard and stiff.
When a plant is alive, it is soft and flexible.
When it is dead, it becomes dry and brittle.
Therefore, hard and rigid shall lead to death.
Soft and gentle shall lead to life.
Thus, a strong army with rigid force shall not win.
A thick and big tree will be cut down for its use.
The big and strong will take an inferior position.
The soft and gentle will take superior position.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Seventy-six
In warfare, there is a saying of such strategy:
I would rather take a defensive position than to make an initial offensive move.
I would rather withdraw a foot than to march forward one inch.
Such is called to advance without advancement;
To defeat without arm force;
To fight as if there were no enemy;
To carry weapons as if there were no weapons;
Thus no need for the use of weapons.
There is no greater disaster than to underestimate the enemy.
To do so may cost one to lose his valuable life.
Therefore, when two armies engage in a battle,
The party that feels the sorrow of killing shall win.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter Sixty-nine
This story is about scars that wars leave in human souls. It’s about emptiness and loneliness. Wars change everyone and everything. Soldiers who come back from war are most often forgotten by their state and misunderstood by their family and friends. Civil population, children, who faced the war, received big psychological traumas, that remain for the rest of their lives. They had to leave along with their fear, anger, pain. Who won and who lost is not a question. There is only destruction.
When the world lives in accord with Tao,
Fine walking horses can be retired form plowing the field.
When the world fails to live in accord with Tao,
Even pregnant mares are used as war horses,
And were forced to breed in the battlefield.
The greatest crime is to have too much desire.
The greatest disaster is not to find contentment.
The greatest mistake is to desire for endless possession.
Hence, when one is gratified with self-contentment,
True contentment can then long endure.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter Forty-six
After facing the war myself, I already didn’t want to show its bloody, frightening appearance, nor to romanticize it. The commotion of death appears in these images as absolute silence. To convey feelings more deeply, I’m using landscape photography, a more intimate approach. Sometimes thoughts of the past are much more painful for the people and the country that survived the war than the battles themselves. These feelings will never stop; they will remain for their whole lives.
Words of truth are not pleasing.
Pleasing words are not truthful.
The wise one does not argue.
He who argues is not wise.
A wise man of Tao knows the subtle truth,
And may not be learned.
A learned person is knowledgeable but may not know the subtle truth of Tao.
A saint does not possess and accumulate surplus for personal desire.
The more he helps others, the richer his life becomes.
The more he gives to others, the more he gets in return.
The Tao of Nature benefits and does not harm.
The Way of a saint is to act naturally without contention.