Topher:

trust in language.

Your comment "trust in language" goes to the heart of the difference between a circular world view and the linear one. The linear one, e.g., the Western Judeo, Christian, Islamic view, knows good & true, bad & false, as polar realities on opposite ends of a linear continuum. The circular one, especially the Taoist view, sees good & true, bad & false, as mysteriously intertwined on a circle with no beginning or end.

On the other hand, Topher:

One thing I am finally dealing with in my own life is that high and low are two sides of the same coin.

From the circular point of view neither the circular or the linear are 'true', i.e., the circular and the linear produce each other. They are "two sides of the same coin". Thus, from the circular view no one goes to hell because they see things differently. The linear view is understandably quite the opposite.

For example, being a 'Taoist fundamentalist',...
I take no action and the people are transformed of themselves;
I prefer stillness and the people are rectified of themselves;
I am not meddlesome and the people prosper of themselves;
I am free from desire and the people of themselves become simple like the uncarved block.

Of course, also being a human animal I take action, move about, meddle and desire. But hey, great perfection seems chipped! - you, me, everyone, everything. We are all in the same boat. On the other hand, the 'Judeo-Christian-Islamic (or Communist, etc.) fundamentalist' seeks to transform people by having them conform to a beautiful, good and true way that can be spoken of. And if they don't, off to hell they go. (Now, there's tribal instinct for you!)

Okey. Why, I wonder, did humanity end up with these two archetypical points of view, circular and linear. On one hand I could think it inevitable. After all if the circular and the linear produce each other, then if half the world aligned with one view, then the other half would naturally align with the other. Still, this seems a bit far fetched even for me.

Seeing these views as based in biology is easier to swallow. Being social animals we have two powerful and opposing tribal instincts. One I'll call the 'dividing' instinct. It expresses itself as elitist, competitive, parochial and partisan - 'we' vs. 'them'. This unites by differentiating 'us' from 'them'. This instinct enables the group to divide when it gets to big. If not for this instinct, social animals would live together like the Borg in one big hive. The other I'll call the 'uniting' instinct. It expresses itself as empathy, family bonding, cooperation, ecumenical and apolitical. It draws 'us' together by feeling the similarities 'we' share.

In the real world each person embodies a blend of these two instincts to varying degrees. So, while the circular view is Eastern and the linear view is Western, in fact, people are the same essentially everywhere (my conclusion after 15+ years traveling and/or working 100+ countries on all continents). Thus, I see these circular and linear views as probably just cultural myths. They don't actually end up driving people's actions. Our actions arise from our individual genetic inheritance (biology) and life (circumstance) - nature and nurture. The view we see at any moment is the one that make us feel best... at that moment. We see what we need to see - And, what we need to see is determined by individual genetic inheritance (biology) and life (circumstance).

Of course this site gives voice to the circular view. The circular view is self cancelling; it pops preconceptions and so promises 'nothing' in the end. The linear view reenforces preconceptions and so promised 'something', like hopes for which one can strive. In reality we all use a mixture of both (subconsciously) depending on the situation, i.e., depending on how our emotions need to see things. Personally I love 'nothing'(*), so I increasingly lean to the circular.

Why do we lean toward either a circular or linear world view? Perhaps that rests on how social and/or competitive we are. The less socially connected we feel, the more a circular view includes, connects and soothes. Of course if we are both loners and competitive, then we're likely to lean both ways... depending. If we are very group oriented (tribal) and competitive, a linear view feels 'right'. If we are group oriented and cooperative, then we're likely to lean both ways... depending.

Curiously, the comparative wealth modern life offers us all leaves us all feeling less socially connected than before. Thus, more of us probably hunger for a more circular unifying point of view than our ancestors - albeit, not as circular and natural as Taoist view! But, our growing ecological sensitivity is at least a step back to nature.

(*) Why do I love 'nothing'? Perhaps because I feel so full.