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Start of Term Paper
The Star Trek The Next Generation episode: "Booby Trap" shows a perfect example of Taoist thought. The crew of the Enterprise is always taking some action in order to achieve a specific goal. This episode shows that through inaction you can so ....

Middle of Term Paper
... the true nature of the trap is revealed, Ryker states "If we resist we die. If we don't resist we die." Neither action nor inaction was the key to salvation. Ryker's statement was based on a physical world; the Tao goes beyond action or inaction of a physical sense. The Tao Te Ching states, "the Master does nothing, yet leaves nothing undone."(pg. 38) The Master does not rely on the world of the senses to decide her action. Everything the crew of the enterprise tried to do was based on overpowering the trap. "More energy, faster adjustments. But that's exactly what we can't do because that's what we're supposed to do."(Star Trek La Forge) ...