A main philosophical point in the Chuang Tzu is the concept of the usefulness of the useless. Chuang Tzu argues that many of the things we take for useful are not useful at all, and many of the things we label as useless are actually the most useful. He provides an example of this with the large gourd that is smashed to pieces because its owner finds it useless due to its size. However, the gourd could have been tied to the owner’s waist and used as a flotation device. Chuang Tzu explains in this concept that mainstream values often misplace value on things because of being distracted from following the Way. For example, many may find a tree useless because it cannot be cut down and shaped into useful items like furniture. However, the tree is useful for shade, for protection from the elements, and as housing and food for animals. Usefulness invites abuse as a value. For example, the tallest, strongest, and straightest trees that are labeled most useful are the first to be cut down. The wells with the most and sweetest water are the first to run dry. Therefore, within this philosophy we see that useless things are not always as useless as they appear, while useful things are not always as useful as they appear either. For example, a crippled individual is often useful because he can live out the years granted to him because his deformity protects him from being used by mainstream society. For example, if the crippled individual were strong and physically able, he might have died long ago from being used in warfare. As Chuang Tzu maintains, “So then the usefulness of the useless is evident” (408).
The three poems pertaining to substance (human existence) and shadow (human spirit) take quite different views, though they represent the conflicting thoughts of one individual toward each topic. In Substance to Shadow I, we see the Buddhist perspective. In this poem we see there is no more return for the substance once...