Politics Between Tao, Taboo, Tattoo, and Totem Capt Mohamed Hassan Al-Tahir

Date: August 1, 2026

Politics is the art of managing public affairs and organizing relationships among individuals, groups, and states.

 It is the practice of authority to achieve balance between different interests.

 It can be seen as a mental and practical mechanism for solving problems, or as a network of symbols and values that reflect the nature of society.

☯️ The Relationship Between Politics and Tao :

In Chinese philosophy, Tao represents the path or cosmic principle that governs the balance between opposites (Yin and Yang).

Politics, when practiced consciously, becomes an attempt to find this balance between opposing forces:

– freedom and authority,

– the individual and the community,

– private interest and public interest.

In this sense, politics is a practical embodiment of Taoist philosophy.

🔗 Tao’s Relationship with Totem, Taboo, and Tattoo

Totem: A collective symbol that unites the tribe or community.

– Tao interprets the totem as part of cosmic harmony, where the symbol becomes a means of communication with nature and spirit.

Taboo: Social and religious prohibitions.

– Tao sees taboo not merely as a restriction, but as a tool to preserve balance and prevent disruption of the natural order.

Tattoo: A body inscription carrying symbolic or aesthetic meaning.

– In light of Tao, tattoo is an individual attempt to express belonging or identity, an extension of totem and taboo in a personal and artistic form.

🔬 Analytical perspective:

Scientifically:

– Politics is a dynamic system resembling biological systems, where balance between forces mirrors ecological equilibrium.

Philosophically:

– Tao connects politics to the pursuit of harmony, while totem, taboo, and tattoo are symbolic manifestations of this harmony in human culture.

Artistically:

– Tattoo and totem are artistic works with deep meanings, and politics itself is the art of managing symbols and values.

Religiously:

– Taboo represents the sacred and the forbidden, and politics often derives its legitimacy from religion or higher values akin to Tao.

🔄 The Dynamics of Politics or the

Mentalities of Solution vs. Stagnation :

Politics moves within the space where thought navigates between opposites.

It oscillates between

– one mentality (seeking balance and harmony according to Tao)

– and another mentality (representing stagnation, repetition, and unconscious adherence to taboo).

The mentality of solution is creative

 politics characterized by dynamic moderation or Aristotelian balance.

 Meanwhile, the mentality of stagnation is a consumptive, static politics that reproduces crises.