The difference between Eastern thought and Western thought:

When we discuss Eastern vs. Western philosophy, we are talking about an imaginary division
between cultures from Western Europe that have been influenced primarily by Judeo-Christian
philosophy and cultures from Asia that have been influenced primarily by an y of the Eastern
philosophies such as Taoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Shinto, Confucianism, etc.

The foundational principles of these philosophies affect the worldview of the individuals within
these cultures, which, in turn, affects the literature produced by each culture.

The Judeo-Christian worldview sees the world as having been created by the master plan of a
benevolent, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God. There is order in the universe created by
His good and opposed by the devil’s evil and/or opposition to His divine will. There is a clear-
cut distinction between good and evil.

Eastern philosophies are quiet varied in their beliefs regarding deities, e.g. many of the
philosophies have a high regard for proper behavior and deference to hierarchy, and nature is
often reverenced as evidence of a natural order, but one key difference between Eastern and
Western philosophy is a belief in the need for a balance between good and evil. It is essential to
understand this aspect of their worldview in order to understand the worldview presented in the
myths we’ll study in our Native American Unit.

The Taoist yin-yang symbol, , represent the integrated nature of light and dark forces in the
universe. Do not be tempted to assign Western symbolic meaning to the colors used in the
symbol. Think of them rather as neutral opposites, good and not-good. The philosophy suggests
that because we can only know good in relation to not-good, then not-good is necessary, and
anything necessary is natural and, therefore, positive.

In order to understand the need for a point of reference, consider the following example:

There is only one grade, “q.” All students receive the grade “q.” Is “q” a good grade or a bad
grade? One cannot know because there is no point of reference.

There are two grades “q” and “h.” People who do well receive a grade of “q,” and people who do
poorly receive a grade of “h.” Now that we have a point of reference, we can tell which is a
grade that you would want and which would be a grade that you would not want. In this way, “h”
is necessary, and anything necessary is natural and positive.

This is not to say that failing grades and passing grades are equally revered in Asian culture.
Neither is it to say that unethical or immoral actions are seen as okay by Asian culture. What it
does mean is that from what Eastern philosophy has observed of human nature, there is the
potential for good and evil in everyone, and what occurs as a natural fact of the universe must be
accepted.
For an example of the relationship between balance and an orderly universe, let’s go to George
Lucas. His saga Star Wars uses Taoist principles for its concept of the Force. In this saga, the
universe awaits a savior who will bring balance to the Force. Since no one has ever believed
himself to have lived during a time of excess goodness, they assume that this savior will come to
inject more good into the universe. However, we learn in the end that the problem was an excess
of good, rather than an excess of evil/bad/not-good-ness. This is how Darth Vadar, the “bad,”
guy, to borrow a Western concept, winds up being the savior in the end.

Both the Jedi and the Sith are entities of power in the Star Wars universe. Although the Jedi are
seen as the “good guys” and the Sith are seen as the “bad guys,” they both lapse into opposite
behaviors at times (like the spot of light in the dark and the spot of dark in the light), especially
one side gains exponentially more power than the other. In Episode I: The Phantom Menace,
there are thousands of Jedi, and only two Sith. Since absolute power corrupts absolutely, the
Jedi’s power begins to go to its head, which is evidenced by their decision to engage in lies,
plots, and murder in the name of good. In Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, there are two
extremely powerful Sith and only one novice Jedi, and these Sith are poised to rule the galaxy. It
is only when both sides have equal, or relatively equal, power that the universe obtains actual
peace (rather than a peace forced by a harsh dictator). This perfect equilibrium is an impossible
state to maintain as the universe is constantly in flux, but it is a good point to aim for.

In “The World on the Turtle’s Back,” you will notice two opposing but equal forces. You will
see that both forces are natural and have essential functions in the universe. You will also notice
that this worldview is based upon the observation of nature and its tendency toward dichotomy.

This link has an interesting explanation of the origin of the yin-yang symbol that supports the
Eastern reverence for natural phenomena. http://www.chinesefortunecalandar.com/YinYang.htm