How The Movie Rock On and it's Sequel encompass the essence of Taoist Philosophy

Rockers of Rock On

I recently watched Rock On and Rock On 2. Interestingly Rock On was released in the year 2008 but I could not watch the movie for no apparent reason. I somehow was able to watch the movie only at the end of 2017. And day before yesterday I watched it's sequel Rock On! 2. I am now happy that I didn't had to wait 8 years to see how the Rock Band MusiK would be doing after the rocking performance in 2008.

Taoism and Rock On , how are they connected ?

Dreamers of Rock On

Choosing Rock On or Band Musik as a subject matter while discussing Taoism is something that cannot be explained in a sentence but require detailed explanation. Rock On , it is not about music or always about singing. Since the beginning of the Rock Band Musik faced an emotional high low pattern on it's journey with songs , lyrics, music that spoke about a generation, about love, about growing up and finally quite uniquely chasing dreams; misunderstanding between Joe, the lead guitarist and Adi, the lead singer during filming a music video, leave a note of disband Musik and its members including Kedar a k a KD(Killer Drummer) and Rob who plays Keyboard become estranged. But the Rock Band Musik remains alive in the dreams of it's members for 10 years. This is the talking point for me now.

While studying Taoism we can find relativism in a vivid context in the text Chuang-Tzu. It is truly a Chinese classic - a text with rich allegories emphasizing the ever changing but always the same nature of life..It talks about the tendency of moral relativism and descartian struggle with sensory perception.

An example of relativism came in as happy dead. Judgments about right or wrong by necessity are made from a specific point of view .Thus, sometimes people who observe the same phenomenon arrive at different conclusions about it. It is also impossible to decide on the relative merit of these different perspectives. As a solution the Chuang-Tzu suggests a higher point of view  which remains impartial in its attitude towards all the view points. They are all treated as equally valid or perhaps equally invalid. It follows that life is desirable and preferable to death; a perspective that comes only from the point of view of the living.

An example of the Chuang-Tzu struggle with the sensory perception appears in the dream of butterfly

Photo by Timo Vijn on Unsplash

Long ago, Chuang Chou  dreamed that he was a butterfly. He was elated as butterfly - well pleased with himself, his aims satisfied, he knew nothing about Chou. But shortly he awake and found himself to be Chou.He did not know whether as Chou he dreamed he was a butterfly or whether he actually was a butterfly who now dreamed he was Chou.

If a sleeping person can dream so vividly that he is unable to ascertain that his experiences are actually unreal, how can he ever be certain that anything he experiences is real? Unlike Descarte's attempt to use logic to verify his sensory perception, Chuang Chou responds with a Taoist acceptance of the conundrum and prefers not value the dream as any less real than the waking state and vice versa. It suggests that all natural life and all experiences are in essence interchangeable. A butterfly's existence as valuable and meaningful as an experience one has while awake. 

The team members, after breakup dreamed so vividly (as Chuang Chou) that they came together and reunited as Musik Rock Band.

Prachi Deasi

Here Sakshi (Adis.s wife) and KD took the important role of reuniting the members. KD's expression all along the journey make me amazed in this part of the movie.

Purab Kohli

As far as the story goes it confirms that it is not only for the music but it's about holding on to what makes them alive by responding their inner sense, call from heart. 

Arjun Rampal and Farhan Akhtar

Chapter Three of Tao Te Ching

By not adoring the worthy, people will not fall into dispute.

By not valuing the hard to get objects, people will

not become robbers.

By not seeing the desires of lust, one’s heart will

not be confused.

Therefore the governing of the saint is to empty one’s mind, substantiate one’s virtue, weaken one’s worldly ambition and strengthen one’s essence.

He lets the people to be innocent of worldly knowledge and desire, and keeps the clever ones from making trouble with their wits.

Acts naturally without desire, then everything will

be accomplished in its natural order.

     

Rock On 2 

Musik the Band

It comes in a dream note in a different form with reality shows and music clubs , rich clients and poor musicians. Joe is the owner of the music club.

Then Meghalya enters the scene. In five years of bearing the guilt of having caused a musician Rahul suicide through not giving him the time, Adi kept himself exiled . He build a school and form a cooperative society of farmers and built a very rational and friendly relationship in the area.

The trio and their families reunite in Meghalaya for Adi's birthday and they decide to reassemble their once famous band.

After that, a tragic disaster in the form of forest fire destroys the village that Adi adopted.

The Last Hurdle - Shraddha Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar

Here the new character Jiah Sharma enters in the story. Eventually she is the sister of Rahul. Jiah is also carrying the burden of her brother's death and her father's hatred for fusion music.

With the fund raising plan for the support of the villagers the Band come back in full swing.

 Chapter Four of Tao Te Ching.

Tao (the way) can be infused into the nature and put to use without being exhausted
It is so deep and subtle like an abyss that is the origin of all things.
It is complete and perfect as a wholeness that can.
Round off sharp edges;
Resolve confusion;
Harmonize with the glory;
Act in unity with lowliness.
Tao is so profound and yet invisible. It exists in everywhere and anywhere.
I do not know whose Son It is, It is existed before heaven and earth.

 
Taoist philosophy in many ways is much more flexible than Confucianism. Taoist writers seek to avoid being guided by rules and definitions. They encourage more intuitive ways of seeking balance in the world by resisting desire to interfere with normal process of nature. Taoism emphasizes Wu Wei - en-lighted non-action  rather than needless bustle and busy work for it's own sake.

Life is as miraculous as it is in Rock On and it's sequel . In both cases music have become the energy line which flows into Rock Band Musik to the heart of the audiences. At the end of the day it proves that music is the metaphor of life.

Usha Uthup and the Shilong Band SummerSalt should be given special mention for their beautiful performance for Hoi Kiw/Chalo Chalo in a terrible circumstances. The song has changed the sequence and made the environment easy for Musik to rock on.

Rock On Blasts

    

 Chapter Six of Tao Te Ching

 

Spirit of the valley is immortal.
It is called the mystic nature.
The gate of the mystic nature is regarded as the root of the Universe.
It is everlasting and cannot be consumed.

 Norman Giradot explained the internal alchemy of Tao as

The whole thrust of Taoism has always been in terms of healing methods that seek to re-establish the original balanced wholeness of human nature and society.   

Final Thought

Taoist ethics are more concerned with becoming a good person than doing good acts. That good person lives in harmony with all things and people.
Taoist ethics are inseparable from Taoist spirituality- both contain the same ideas. In the context of Tao, Taoists try to see what would be best suited with natural order of things.
To summarize, Taoists tend not to initiate action- but wait for the events to make action necessary- and avoid letting their own desires and compulsions push them into doing things.

Here the story line of Rock On matches the essence of Taoist Philosophy. I hope Rock Band Musik will take their journey forward and make some more sequels in order.

I would love to quote Tao Te Ching again.

Chapter Fifty Four

One who cultivates himself with Tao,
Firmly establishes his virtue.
He holds on faithfully to the Great ones,
And honored for generations ever after.
Cultivate oneself with the Oneness, Tao and the virtue is genuine.
Cultivate a family with  the Oneness, Tao and the virtue is in surplus.
Cultivate an entire village with the Oneness, Tao and the virtue is enduring.
Cultivate a whole nation with the Oneness, Tao and the virtue is luxuriant.
Cultivate the whole world with the Oneness, Tao and the virtue is universal.
Hence, by cultivating oneself, thus gains insight into one's true virtue.
By cultivating a family, thus gains insight into a loving family.
By cultivating a village, thus gains insight into a harmonious village.
By cultivating a nation, thus gains insight into the extensive benefits for the people.
By cultivating the whole world, thus gains into the universal peace that embrace all beings.
How do I know that the world is so ?
It is through this way.

      
Taoism requires human beings to be humble and to recognize that  not only they are not obliged to make the world  a better place, but they should actually be ignorant of what is really happening, and that they are likely to make things worse if they do take any action. 

Rock On Final Song

Rock On 2 Final Song