Monthly Archive for December, 2010
I got to thinking over yesterday’s Beyond Spooky post. In particular, I was wondering what effect, if any, the capitalization of proper names has on Western thought. One thing I really appreciate in Chinese is how there is no way to capitalize words. The character ? (dào in pinyin) means road, way, path; channel, course; way, path; doctrine, principle; Taoism, Taoist; superstitious sect; line; say, talk, speak; think, suppose. However, the only way to distinguish between road and capital ‘T’ Taoism is through context, not capitalization. I find that capitalization can skew perception toward elitism, or at least, does nothing to counteract it. Continue reading ‘Small ‘t’ Taoists’
The November issue of Science News, Beyond Spooky, was dedicated to “quantum weirdness”, as they put it. I have long had deep affection for this side of physics. Frankly though, the weirder thing for me is how, despite nature’s hoodwink, it is possible to see more than just the tip-of-the-iceberg of reality. Biology requires living things to perceive reality in such a way that promotes survival and evolution. I can’t imagine any biological reason why any living thing would be able to perceive more than that, but living things can and do as humans have demonstrated (and I suspect, all living things at some level). Continue reading ‘Beyond Spooky’
1961, In the barracks beginning yoga
I was recently reminded of the battle smokers go through to quit. My story may contains more twists and turns than most, however, and ends with an ironic finish. This post is a bit long, so skim some and then go down to “The End Of A Long Journey” for the Taoist meat.
It all began when I came down with strep throat while in the Air Force. The sergeant told me that smoking would help with the pain. It did. That I took him up on the offer was ironic for I was seriously into yoga(1) at the time: vegetarian, postures, and what seems to me now like goofy cleansing practices. Oh well, no one ever accused me of being consistent, especially in those teenage years. Continue reading ‘My Battle With Tobacco’
This short lecture, John Cleese on creativity, shows he may be a ‘defacto taoist’ or perhaps a ‘natural taoist’. Meaning, anyone who has this contrarian point of view is a ‘taoist’, although they may never have heard the word Taoist.
The Blind Spot
This idea of backing off in order to move forward, and the humorous way he talks about the “blind spot”, parallels core Taoist principles. Continue reading ‘John Cleese, A ‘Taoist’?’
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