In all three texts read, the idea that humans must give in to the ultimate power is present. In the Book of Job, God punishes Job for no other reason than to see if he will rebel against Him. When Arjuna refuses to fight in the Bhagavad-Gita, his god Krishna appears to him, and tells him not fighting is against his sacred duty. In the Way of Chuang Tzu, one passage reflects that only men who give in to Tao are happy. But acceptance of a higher power is not the only path to happiness.

The Book of Job tells of the tests God sends to Job, to see if he will remain faithful. At the beginning of the book, Job is a model human being, and God is proud of his servant. Even God respects him. At the beginning of the book, God says to Satan, "Have you seen my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?"(Job 1:8) Satan asks God if he would remain faithful if his good fortune is taken away. God says he will, and allows Satan to destroy Job's riches and family. Job does not speak ill of his God, even after he is reduced to a pauper. He remains faithful and does not blaspheme, as Satan expected him to do. He finds comfort in acceptance of God's will. He even offers a prayer:

This serves as a consolation to himself that what happens is God's will, and he must accept that. If he is a good and pious man, God will reward him as He sees fit. God orders the world as he thinks it should be, and men must abide by his order. It is man's lot to obey God.

When Arjuna refuses to fight in the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna tells him that it is against his sacred duty not to do battle. Arjuna's kinsmen and friends are fighting each other on the field of Kuru. Dismayed at this, Arjuna stops his chariot between the two armies. The god Krishna comes to him, and tells him it is his sacred duty to fight. Arjuna is of the warrior caste, and fighting is his obligation. One passage illustrates Krishna's point best-"Philosophy and Spiritual Discipline". Krishna asks Arjuna why he hesitated to join the battle. Arjuna replies that he cannot kill his mentors.

"Krishna, how can I fight
against Bhishma and Drona
with arrows
when they deserve my worship?"(p.29;paragraph 4,'Gita)

He goes on to say that he would rather be a beggar than kill his respected elders, among whom are Bhishma and Drona. Krishna tells Arjuna that "learned men do not grieve/for the dead or the living"(p.31; 11). Wise men understand that death comes to everyone at some time or another. Arjuna should worry about his duty, rather than the lives of men who are going to die anyways. He is a warrior and his duty is to fight. "Nothing is better for a warrior/than a battle of sacred duty" (p.34; 31). Battle is Arjuna's lot in life. Krishna goes on to say that if Arjuna does not fight, he will lose the respect of his peers. "You will be despised/by those who held you in esteem"(p.34; 35). This loss of respect will be caused by Arjuna's abandonment of duty. It is evil not to follow his sacred duty, even if he dies in the battle. No matter what happens in the battle, the results are better than those if he does not fight. Should Arjuna run from it, everyone will make fun of him, not just his peers. His enemies will mock him as well. Krishna makes sure to mention this, appealing to Arjuna's pride.

"Your enemies will slander you,
scorning your skill
in so many unspeakable ways-
could any suffering be worse?"(p.34;36)

A warrior's pride cannot stand such mockery from those around him. It would be better to obey sacred duty and kill friends and relatives, than to live with the shame of being called a coward all your life. Krishna's counsel to Arjuna uses this as his argument to fight. To follow your sacred duty is to be rewarded, even if the battle is reprehensible to the warrior.

The Way of Chuang Tzu also says that following your duty is better than fighting it. In the Chuang Tzu, however, duty is not to fight, but to find and follow Tao. The poem "The True Man" talks about the differences between men who follow the Tao and those who do not. The "true men" are those who follow Tao. They have no worries, no sorrows, no ambitions. They live by Tao.

"They had no mind to fight Tao.
They did not try, by their own contriving,
To help Tao along.
These are the ones we call true men"(p.61, Chuang Tzu)

The men who are not "true men" are passionate. They have goals they want to reach. They question things. "They heave up arguments like vomit"(p.60). These men question their existence and fight death. True men do not. "They took life as it came, gladly; /Took death as it came, without care"(p.61). Those who follow Tao are serene and happy in their simple lives. Those who do not are unhappy, worrying or sorrowful about something. Thus, those who give in to Tao are content in life, and thereby rewarded with this happiness.

If the views in these three books were paths over a mountain, they would not be the only ones. The path of the Book of Job leads to God, and the acceptance that we cannot understand his motives and reasons for the things he does. The path of the Bhagavad-Gita is a path of duty, and we must give in to the destiny and responsibilities of our caste. The path of the Way of Chuang Tzu is to give in to Tao and be a "true man", without worries or passion. The fourth path is one of contentment without gods. A person does not need an ultimate power to be happy. You can have passion and ambition and be content. Fulfilling a dream, a long-wished-for goal is a cause for happiness. That is why humans have dreams. We need something to aim for. Acceptance of duty, God, or Tao leads to a dull existence. People who have accepted these things do not question their surroundings. They may contemplate their toenails for a month, but how much fun is that? Humans have brains in order to use them. We have dreams so we can put our minds to work on how to attain them. If I did not have a passion for drawing, and a dream to be a published comic book artist, I would not have drawn a strip in the Collegian comic page. There would be one less comic in the paper, one less thing to amuse students. Sure, there would be a different strip in my place, but who's to say that it won't be some idiot with no talent and crappy ideas anyways. Without my passion for art, I would be playing with my toes and spouting nonsense about "Tao", and "God", and "acceptance of duty" like these books. I would rather be shamed in the face of my peers than give up my dreams, and replace them with the dubious comforts of religion.

There is more than one way to be happy in this world. Most religions say that, if you follow their doctrine, then you will find happiness in the ultimate being or power. Following your dreams and striving to achieve your goals can be more rewarding than religion. To achieve a goal is more fulfilling than to live with nothing but the belief in a higher power.