Myriad Things Research Articles

Goodness Is Like Water: Laozi's Vision of Fundamental Nature, Life, and Light

Goodness Is Like WaterLaozi's Vision of Fundamental Nature, Life, and Light Manuel Parreño Piñol (bio) In the Daode jing,Laozi describes Dao as "… the beginning of all things under heaven" (ch. 52; Wei et al. 1992, 119)1 and says that "Dao gave birth" to all beings (1992, 117). Dao is the backbone of Laozi's naturalistic philosophy. All things in the universe have come from Dao through the interaction of yin and yang so that, for Laozi, creation is ex material: an ongoing ordered process of change is applied to unorganized matter which then becomes organized matter—a tree, plant, human being, etc. Two key concepts to better understand Dao are our "fundamental Dao-nature" (de 德) and "light" (guang 光), which Dao has put in all human beings. Through the latter we know what the right thing to do is, that is, it represents our conscience. I call (de 德) "fundamental Daonature" for a reason. Both our physical body and our (inner) de have come to us from Dao. The difference is that our physical bodies are the result of the interaction of forces that came into existence leading to the creation of more life in a chain of events expanding over many generations. Thus, Dao made yin and yang and their interaction produced a third thing and so on till the myriad things we now have in the universe have been produced, us including. It is not the same with de. Laozi believes that at some point in that process of things coming into existence Dao directly (and not through the interaction of other forces or events) [End Page 153] put in each thing created their de. This de or "fundamental Dao-nature" in all beings is that by which "they could exist" (Fung 2007, 170). For practicality and to avoid the repetition of the use of the word Dao, from now on I will refer to de as (our) fundamental nature. Our fundamental nature is the reason why Laozi trusts that humankind can and indeed should be allowed to act naturally, rather than depending on too many rules for proper conduct. It also manifests through a light within people. Both our fundamental nature and light come directly from Dao. Our inner light guides our behavior so as to follow what, according to our fundamental nature, is natural in us. Consequently, we all know what the right thing to do is (ch. 78; Wei et al. 1992, 177). Indeed, it is through our adherence to the dictates of Dao's light that Dao can preserve us. In a nutshell, what is Dao? While remaining obscure, it is the source from which all sprang (1992, 119). Found in all things that exist, it guides behavior and operates through a persuasive organized process—almost like natural law in Western thought—something that works through flow rather than force. Dao represents the proper way to lead our lives and is the source of all goodness (shan). Thus, Laozi speaks of goodness as a standard to be worked on: it must be pursued because it means adhering to Dao. The way to pursue this goodness, then, comes from within: it starts with the way we use our fundamental nature and light Inasmuch as Dao is "the very progenitor of all things" (ch. 4; Wei et al. 1992, 9),2 Laozi describes the creation in terms of Dao: "Dao gave birth to the One; the One gave birth to the two; the two gave birth to the three; and the three gave birth to the ten thousand things" (ch. 42; 1992, 99).3 Dao and the One are very close, describing the unfolding cosmos in its state of nonbeing (Dao) and first being (One), from which all else come into existence. As for the meaning of the two and the three, Fung Yu-lan states that it "may simply be the same as saying that from being come all things. Being is one, and two and three are the beginning of the many" (2007, 156). The Huainanzi explains it in terms of yin and yang arising from Dao, which in turn interact to bring about a level of harmony, a three...

Daoist Conception of Time: Is Time Merely a Mental Construction?

There have been very few studies of the Daoist conception of time in either the West or the East. The only explicit study on this topic in the English literature is David Chai’s (Chai 2014). Chai maintains that “human measured time” manifested in the myriad things in the Daoist universe is merely a mental construction, whereas the authentic time is cosmological time, which consists of neither an A-series (which is ordered by nonreducible pastness, presentness, and futurity) nor a B-series (which is ordered by earlier-than relations) but something without order and directionality. In this article, I start with Daoist texts (i.e., Dao De Jing 道德經 and Zhuangzi 莊子) about fundamental reality and time. I then explain and analyze Chai’s interpretations of these texts. Lastly, I argue that Chai’s interpretations violate an important Daoist principle. In addition, the idea that human measured time is merely a mental construction is not the best available interpretation of the texts.

Reading Taijitu Shuo Synchronously: The Human Sense of Wuji er Taiji

This article suggests that reading Zhou Dunyi’s 周敦頤 Explanation to the Diagram of Supreme Polarity (Taijitu Shuo 太極圖說) synchronously instead of diachronically yields a new understanding on the relatedness between infinitude and finitude, or on the One and many. Zhou’s attitude is introduced as a living riddle, in which “Non-Polar and Supreme Polarity” (wuji er taiji 無極而太極) is understood as a new conceptual construct, and one which is issued as a call for action at the end of the text: it is a call to investigate the beginnings and endings of one’s life. In this way, the text demonstrates how a person embodies the cosmological as riddle. The article follows both the diagram and text. It first refers to the riddle, then moves on to its embodiment in the ongoing processes of living as yin-yang 陰陽, the five phases, qian 乾 and kun 坤, and the myriad things, including human beings. According to the approach presented here, it is the sage who is the human embodiment of “Non-Polar and Supreme Polarity.”

The spiritual in ssial thought and Taejonggyo

ABSTRACT The prevailing view on the genesis and development of ssial (seed) thought is that it has only Christian roots. In this essay, presenting a contrary view, I argue that Ryu’s ssial thought shared common features with Taejonggyo (the Religion of the Divine Progenitor), with the latter serving as another root source for the thought of Ryu Yŏng-mo (1890–1981), founder of ssial thought, along with Christianity. Ssial refers to the everlasting and permanent life within humans. It is generally accepted that Ryu, as a Christian thinker, in his interpretation of Samilsin’go (Teachings of the Trinitarian God), one of Taejonggyo scriptures, understood the immanence of ssial and construed it as abiding not only in the realm of the divine as a real ego of humanity, but also in the myriad things of the universe. Taejonggyo embraces a worldview of immanence in which there is no unconnected life form or permanent disappearance, and it is closely related to Daoist thought.

Patterning the Myriad Things: Holism, Harmony, and Anthropogenic Influence in the Huainanzi 淮南子

Patterning the Myriad Things: Holism, Harmony, and Anthropogenic Influence in the Huainanzi 淮南子

Teaching beyond words: ‘silence’ and its pedagogical implications discoursed in the early classical texts of Confucianism, Daoism and Zen Buddhism

In traditional Chinese philosophy, silence occupies a pivotal position by not being merely treated as the absence of speech, but also as the transcendence of it. Silence in early Confucianism implies the timing, subjects and issues to which one should not teach and talk about, and in depth it also refers to the manifestation of utmost sincerity rooted in the nature of both human and Heaven. For early philosophical Daoism, silence nicely represents the ineffable nature and spontaneous status of the Dao, the mother of myriad things and the principle by which they were ordered. The Daoist enthusiastically proclaims teaching without the use of words and governance without unreasonable interference. The Daoist silence is also based on the clear realization of the inescapable deviation amongst words, thought and truth, and such stance was further stressed by Zen Buddhism which reveals in nature the sunyata (emptiness) of all existences and thus enlightens the way of direct perception beyond words. In result, silence comes as a significant pedagogical method and an ideal realm to be reached; it implies not only silence in speech but also stillness in action and limpidity in mind. It also suggests that in the pursuit of true meaning the preoccupied goals and methods should be finally rested on silence, only by which can genuine perception emerge naturally. Silence in traditional Chinese philosophy has inspired abundant negative–like yet positive–targeting discourses and practices; a comprehensive discussion on them can deepen our understanding of the nature of knowledge, learning and teaching.

A posthumanist reading of loss in Zhuangzi and Jacques Lacan: the missing tally and the lack

ABSTRACTThis article argues for a posthumanist reading of loss in Zhuangzi and Jacques Lacan. Language separates human beings from the primordial oneness and channels them into the procrustean bed of cultural codes. Zhuangzi defines this severance as ‘loss.’ Likewise, Lacan rewrites ‘loss’ as ‘lack’ within the discourse of logocentrism. Language is both the cause of and the solution to the loss; however, these two thinkers have different understandings of the compensation mechanism of language. A Lacanian subject feels the imperative to use more signifiers to complement his lack and construct his anticipatory identity. Lacan confines the compensation for a lack within language. Zhuangzi goes beyond that confinement. Language and cultural codes are both fabricated discriminations imposed on things, so Zhuangzi instructs us to abandon these artificial demarcations, resume our capacity of ‘cross-species becoming’ with myriad things, and become architects of a posthumanist world of symbiotic coexistence with multiple species.

Yulgok YI-I's Idea of Chief Ruler of Myriad Things

Yulgok YI-I's Idea of Chief Ruler of Myriad Things

The Metaphysics of Dao in Wang Bi’s Interpretation of Laozi

Wang Bi 王弼 develops a metaphysic of Dao 道 in his Commentary on Laozi (Laozi Zhu 老子注) and “The Structure of Laozi’s Subtle Pointers (Laozi Zhilue 老子指略).” I summarize this metaphysic as the following thesis: Dao is featureless and is the ultimate reason why the myriad things exist and are the ways they are. I develop a systematic account of this thesis: I provide an interpretation of the featurelessness of Dao and show how Dao’s featurelessness relates to its fundamental explanatory role as the ontological ground for the myriad things.

The Ethical Stance of the “Qiwulun (Discourse on Corresponding Things)”

This essay analyses the second chapter of the Zhuangzi 莊子, the “Qiwulun 齊物論.” After a brief examination of its main ideas, it will be argued that the “Qiwulun” needs to be considered not as an equalization that makes everything indistinguishable but as a discourse on corresponding things. A more attentive analysis of this correspondence among the myriad things will lead to the consideration of their mutual transformation. The conclusion is that, contrary to the ontotheological nature of Western metaphysics that imposes a single logic for its hierarchical structure Being-beings, the correspondence of myriad things allows the differentiation and assimilation of values in a comprehensive and harmonious fashion. Thus, the essay offers an ethical reading of the “Qiwulun” and considers its significance in the contemporary world.

The Authenticity of Myriad Things in the Zhuangzi

A large quantity of past research in philosophical Daoism has been dedicated to the authenticity of “dao”; this essay shifts the focus to the authenticity of the “myriad things 萬物 (wanwu)” in the Zhuangzi. The concept of “myriad things”, which later gains paradigmatic importance in Chinese philosophy, was first introduced in the Laozi and developed in the Zhuangzi. Under the collective heading of “myriad”, “myriad things” encompasses all of the variegated existing entities in the empirical world, while also taking into account the individual particularities of each entity without calling forth any singular or set of qualities, or “essence”, that is shared by all individuals. As a concept that safeguards individual particularities, the use of “myriad things” in the Zhuangzi serves to counterargue against the essentialist tendency to treat “humans 人 (ren)” as a collective of moral agents with a singular and identifiable moral essence. By the same token, Daoist thinkers re-interpret the meaning of “heaven 天 (tian)” with “the collective name of the myriad things 萬物之總名”, thus transferring the transcendent meaning belonging to the former as a transcendent moral authority to the myriad variegated principles that are inherent to each existing and transforming individual. The Daoist theoretical frame breaks away from that of “heaven–human” and connects the re-interpreted “heaven” with concepts of “self-so/self-affirm 自然 (ziran)”, “essentials 情 (qing)”, “nature 性 (xing)”, and “potency 德 (de)”. In this respect, “authenticity 真 (zhen)”, as it is warranted by “non-action 無為 (wuwei)”, is proposed as an ultimate state of attainment that is identified with the self-realization of each individual being as herself, over and above the so-called moral goodness and its opposite. Furthermore, the self-realization of the authenticity of the myriad things is seemingly paradoxical in the sense that, from the perspective of the “transformation of the myriad things 萬物之化”, the separation between object and subject both exists and is non-existent. The proposition of “myriad things” opposes the essentialization of human beings, whereas the doctrine of the transformation of the myriad things opposes the belief in fixed essentials in individual entities. The road to realizing “authenticity” as herself is thus a never-ending process for each individual member of the myriad things.

Two Ancient Chinese Antinomies: The Hengxian and Early Cosmology

The cosmology elaborated in the Hengxian is eclectic. Its most salient point is the notion of self–generation which most probably stems from some other independent source no longer extant today. Apart from the cosmology of self–generation, there existed three other types of cosmology in ancient China: ‘nonpresence to presence’ cosmology, numerological cosmology, and mythological cosmology. Interestingly, the pursuit of the cosmological problematic led ancient Chinese thought to two antinomies. The first one revolved around the issue of whether the world and the myriad things have a beginning. The latter antinomy regarded the question of whether the generation and transformation of the world and the myriad things is caused by ‘some agency’ or whether there is ‘no maker’ involved in the cosmological process. These two antinomies have their close counterparts in two of the four antinomies introduced by Immanuel Kant, which attests to the depth of philosophical reasoning in ancient China.

Philosophy as Elevation of Spheres of Living: Understanding Zhang Shiying’s “The Myriad Things as One Body”

Zhang Shiying 張世英 has been widely acclaimed as a master (dashi 大師) of philosophy in mainland China. His new claim of “the myriad things as one body” (wanwuyiti 萬物一體) remains greatly influential in philosophy and aesthetics. It cannot be categorized under Marxism, Western philosophy, or traditional Chinese philosophy, because it stands on its own right. As a creative synthesizing of the three traditions, Zhang’s claim answers some important and immediate problems that China is facing. It is a pity that this claim seems unknown to the West. This article tries to introduce two crucial parts of the claim: its ontology and its theory of “spheres of living” (rensheng jingjie 人生境界).

“In the beginning was the place…”: an east–west dialogue of Creatio ex Profundis

This study will compare Neo-Confucian Zhang Zai (張載)’s taixu (太虛, the vast vacuity) and process ecotheologian Catherine Keller’s tehom (the chaotic depth in Hebrew) in light of the ultimate spatio-temporal place of creation, using the Korean term teum (in-betweenness) to connect these two resonant concepts. Both Keller and Zhang develop a nondualistic cosmology as opposed to the Augustinian doctrine of creation ex nihilo (the creation out of nothingness). Keller rejects the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo which was inherited by Augustine where God is the unilateral agent of creation while the multitudes (萬物, wanwu) are subalternized; and for Zhang, taixu is the ultimate place where cosmos and the multitude are born from the same fluid vital force (氣, qi) resonant with Keller’s creation ex profundis (creation out of the deep). The great vacuity is not nothingness but the fullness of vital force (氣, qi). Creation is the manifestation of the endless becoming(s) of taixu becoming myriad things by convergence of qi while myriad things become taixu by a diffusion of qi. Both Keller and Zhang Zai’s harmonious cosmology offers us today a new and healing paradigm of creation that this planet is one organic body of the myriad thing events in which we are all interconnected and which nothing is left out.

The Weblog Genre

This article aims at exploring the process of digital genre formation in general and weblogs in particular. While genre theory basically delimits genre features, it cannot handle their construction procedures. Approaching the weblog genre through the lens of Actor Network Theory (henceforth, ANT) provides practical tools for not only conducting a generic analysis of the blogging phenomenon but also following the network relations that shape the process of its construction. The results of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a corpus of 497 blog entries by 39 A-list American political bloggers revealed that the key features of the weblog genre are relational effects of a process of interaction between a network of humans and non-human actors. Tracing all forms of negotiations and their effects shows how the actors involved in the formation of the weblog genre are assemblies or gatherings of myriad things brought together and linked through processes of translation. Therefore, foregrounding associations does not only deepen the exploration of the weblog genre but also furthers understanding of related, yet unexamined internet-based genre. It also draws attention to the affordances of the weblog technology and their effects in connection with a network of human and non-human entities.

Zhuangzi’s philosophy of thing

ABSTRACTIt is usually believed that the concept of ‘qiwu 齊物’ in the Zhuangzi means ‘equalizing things’. This reading of the Zhuangzi, however, presupposes that things are originally separated and exist independently. The equality of things is just a mental construct in a specific state of mind. In this paper, we will argue that this reading does not stand; what Zhuangzi does in the ‘Qiwulun 齊物論’is to examine how myriad things are created from the original oneness. According to Zhuangzi’s philosophy of thing, things are created by objectification through fact and value imposing. Oneness is therefore not a mere perspective but the condition for things being objectified. This understanding of the things’ being is comparable to Heidegger’s classification of thing and equipment, but it differs from Heidegger by its special implication on the Daoist liberation.

Teaching with Dao

173 Teaching with Dao DAVID HESSLER Mastering and teaching content is the beginning of the teacher’s responsibilities , but only the beginning. Afterwards comes the development of mastery in teaching. This paper examines how Daoist concepts and careful reading of the Daode jing in particular, can guide one towards optimal teaching practices. This means moving beyond the traditional goal of classroom instruction. “Education in the classroom is directed towards giving students knowledge and skills but it is not primarily concerned with developing a certain kind of personal character”(Hori, 1994, 7). However, the way of the teacher in the Daode jing is more focused on developing the inherent character of each student.1 Self-Doing One of the most famous lines in the Daode jing is daofa ziran 道法自然, which has been translated variously. To me, it has two complementary meanings, i.e., doing something of itself, and Dao follows inherent inclinations or tendencies. “Doing something of itself” is to undertake an action in accordance with, or in conformity to, what is called for by the subject and situation. Understanding the true essence of all things under Heaven is the basis for any one who truly wants to follow Dao 道 or “the Way,” but it also has some very practical applications to the profession 1 I have found very few if any articles to address the relationship between Daoist practice and effective teaching. Therefore, this paper presents an initial foray into a relatively untouched field, focusing on how to apply lessons from the Daode jing to classroom teaching. 174 / Journal of Daoist Studies 9 (2016) of teaching. After all, there are repeated references to the sage in the Daode jing. Understanding the truth of this passage can inform the way teachers construct their classroom environment and relationships with students. “Dao follows inherent inclinations or tendencies” means understanding the true reality of all things. Professor Wang Zhongjiang of Peking University, in his recently published book, Daoism Excavated (2015), has further enhanced our understanding of the expression daofa ziran with his insight that the closest literal translation, “Dao models itself on self-being” refers not to a property found in Dao, but to the “myriad things.” Professor Wang argues that Dao allows all things to develop into who, or what, they are by moving “in accordance with their selfbeing ” (2015, 136-137). Wang argues that Dao is like parents “giving birth to children and raising them without overly controlling them” (2015, 136). The relevant passage from the Daode jing is, “Dao gives birth to them [all things on earth] but does not own them” (ch. 53; 2015, 150). How can this inform classroom teaching? If Dao births and nurtures all beings, then they “continue to develop and manifest in life according to their particular unique characteristics, thereby fully realizing themselves” (2015, 151). This may be the key to better classroom teaching. A teacher who understands his profession can diagnose the difficulties of his students over the first few months of the academic year. Applying Wang’s concepts means that the next step is not to inform students of a diagnosis and expect change. Rather, the role of the teacher should be first to make a diagnosis , then foster conditions in the classroom to enable students to recognize their own self-being through a natural and organic process. The First Step The first step is for the teacher to develop practices to foster an understanding of himself through quieting the mind. This can be done through a variety of techniques but meditation, quiet sitting, or restorative yoga can be beneficial. As teachers learn to calm their minds, they gain the Hessler, “Teaching with Dao” / 175 awareness necessary to foster each student’s self-being. This concept can be of immense assistance to teachers, as I have personally experienced.2 Why is it so important for the teacher to reach a quieter state of mind? The Daode jing says, Attain the climax of emptiness, preserve the utmost quiet; As myriad things act in concert, I thereby observe the return. Things flourish, then each returns to its root. (ch. 16; Cleary 1994, 17) To understand one’s own self-being requires that we develop a stillness...

Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture by Robin R. Wang (review)

Reviewed by: Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture by Robin R. Wang Paul D’Ambrosio (bio) Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture. By Robin R. Wang. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Pp. 1 + 250. Hardcover $89.99, isbn 978-1-107-00015-5. Paper $28.99, isbn 978-0-521-16513-6. To date there has been little serious scholarship that focuses directly on yinyang. While its significance is not often doubted, few scholars have seriously addressed the issue on its own. In Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture Robin Wang draws from a wide range of ancient and modern Chinese resources to explain the influence of yinyang thinking in areas ranging from military strategy, medicine, human relationships, and ethics to sexual practice and city planning. The introduction starts by offering a light survey of how yinyang theory has been treated in contemporary English- and Chinese-language scholarship, including English-language dictionary definitions. Instead of criticizing earlier studies, Wang points out their differences, noting that each has something positive to contribute to the discussion. She suggests that her own work can offer a more complex and diverse reading of yinyang. She argues that “yinyang can be thought of as a kind of horizon for much of Chinese thought and culture” (p. 5). In other words, while many thinkers have noted its particular usage and concrete application, Wang finds yinyang to be a characteristic of the structure of Chinese understanding. For her it is both a lens through which all things are viewed and a strategy for effective and productive interaction in both the social and natural worlds. Wang immediately provides a philosophical treatment. Yinyang, as a correlative model, is broken down into six distinct forms: maodun, or contradiction and opposition; xiangyi, or interdependence; huhan, or mutual inclusion; hubu, as complementarity or mutual support; and zhuanhua, or change and transformation. After this Wang discusses yinyang’s productive capabilities as related to sheng, or generation and emergence, as well as harmony and efficacy. The reader is then already introduced to a rich philosophical treatment of the complexity of this issue and, as Wang [End Page 351] draws on texts here ranging from the Zhou Yi (Book of Changes) to Mao Zedong’s writings, just how important yinyang is in the Chinese tradition. This is just the beginning, however, and the outline that Wang provides only serves to elucidate how yinyang thinking serves as a conceptual and practical tool. The work is thereby unique in the problematic it raises, and the broad footing it establishes in framing its task. In the first chapter after the introduction Wang looks at yinyang cosmology, or, what is “above forms” (xingershang). Dao, commonly translated as “the Way,” provides the inroads for envisioning the yinyang relationship to the myriad things. As the generative force behind all things, oneness is at the core of Dao cosmology. However, once change begins to be accounted for, yin and yang are used as correlative concepts of interpretation. Similarly, yinyang thinking theorizes about how things relate, thus making it a strategy for how things harmoniously form a unity, and thereby return to a naturally well-ordered state of Dao. Here the effectiveness of Wang’s distinctive notion of identifying yinyang thinking as a strategy becomes apparent. Dao cosmology also includes qi (vital force or energy) and yi (change), Wang relates yinyang views to these particular aspects as well. Using Zhou Dunyi’s Taijitu (Illustration of the Great Ultimate), which shows how all things transform and become generated, Wang then shows that yinyang thinking is the basic framework for knowing “what is above forms.” The third chapter complements the second as an investigation into yinyang thought and what is “below forms” (xingerxia). Wang argues that “Yinyang is an underlying rhythm animating all existence or all things ‘under heaven’” (p. 20). She looks closely at the Han Confucian Dong Zhongshu and his classification of things into different lei, or categories. Everything in the world can be grouped into these lei, which allows them to be “patterned on yinyang” (p. 96). But lei is also, like yinyang...

Thinking with Zhuangzi and Su Shi against Heidegger on Artwork

This essay explores some aspects of Heidegger’s thematization on the essential being of artwork and brings them into encounter with alternative modes of thinking as implicated in the Zhuangzi and inherited and elaborated by Su Shi. Starting from equipment (Zeug) as the prototype of a thing, Heidegger conceives the being of a thing, including things in nature, in terms of readiness-to-hand, and tries to locate the fundamental difference between a mere thing and a work of art. In contrast, the Chinese word for thing ( wu 物) refers to a living being as well as to the myriad things, each having its peculiar heavenly rhythms ( tianli 天理). Since the Daoist tradition does not set up a stringent stratification among things, it does not consider artwork apart from concrete activities in which the artist attends and attunes to the heavenly rhythms of things. This finds reflection in Zhuangzi’s idea of the coalescence between the finger and the brush ( zhiyu wuhua 指与物化), which diverges significantly from the relation between the hand and the hammer, as Heidegger depicts. For Heidegger, an artwork, which is “no-thing,” has to stand aloof from the mundane life so as to serve as the site, or non-site, where the truth of things is unconcealed. This is epitomized by the Greek temple, which alone gives meaning to all its constituents and surroundings. Through an innovative description of one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake and a new interpretation of Zhuangzi’s expression of yitian hetian 以天合天, this essay seeks to illustrate that in the Daoist tradition the conception of artwork is open to multiple interpenetrating determinations; there is never just an artwork, but a stream of artwork(s) resonating with and enhancing one another.

An adoptive parental perspective on personal genomic screening.

Parenthood changes one’s perspective and focus. Myriad things that previously seemed benign, such as escalators, shopping carts, and even forks, now represent imminent danger. Like biological parent–child relationships, adoptive parent–child relationships come in many forms, sometimes good and sometimes bad. I am lucky: My bond with my daughter is strong. I see her light up when I enter the room, and I feel myself light up over something as simple as someone turning the conversation to how she is doing. My world now revolves around her. The focus of my life has become her happiness and well-being and protecting her from harm and sadness. I want to shape the world in her favor: Where I perceive her to lack something that might benefit her, the urge to fill that gap for her benefit is among the strongest influences I have ever felt. One gap that is constantly present for many adoptive parents (especially for parents of children, like my daughter, who are adopted internationally) is the inability to provide sophisticated genetic heritage information. In my own experience, we were provided with little more than a photograph, and a vague statement that the child appears healthy, as the “medical” portion of our information packet (the rest of the packet focused on personality, temperament, and behavioral traits). We were told that she received basic vaccinations, but lack of verifiable documentation and concerns about reliability resulted in pediatricians in the United States providing vaccinations as if she had not received them before. We are unaware of any newborn screening as might be done in the United States, nor do we believe such screening occurred. Indeed, we have no information about illnesses that run in her biological family from either side. I can relate, then, to the emotions behind adoptive parents’ advocacy of genetic … Address correspondence to Thomas May, PhD, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226. E-mail: tmay{at}mcw.edu