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Who You Are Determines Who I Am, & Vise Versa
This is an interesting perceptual phenomenon. Is it true and real? Hmm, that’s hard to say, which makes it all the more fascinating to ponder. Looking at life through this lens can be helpful, regardless of how true it is. At the very least, it gives insight to why others may be the way they seem to be. Blurring the lines of judgment like this lets them off the hook for being who they are. This blurring lines of distinction also allows you to relax more.
And don’t forget the “visa versa” part of this. You’ll get insight on why you seem to be the way you are. The blurred lines of distinction let you off the hook for being who you are.
By the way, this way of looking at “you and them” parallels the Hindu, That Thou Art
I marvel at how seriously the prophets of doom are sometimes taken. Still, I do understand the apprehension. Indeed, my own apocalyptic sense of life probably accounts for my serious side.
If I were a true believer in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic world view I might even be susceptible to the ‘end of times’ stories these prophets preach. Being a Taoist lets me off the hook for the most part; any part that remains ‘on the hook’ is nicely assuaged by Buddha’s Truths.
I suspect this sometimes apocalyptic sense of life is one of the deepest we humans feel. I see it manifested in various ways, and while not as literal the “May 21″ end of the time story, they are nevertheless common. The stock market crashes foretell the end of the economy as we know it; extinction of species and global warming foretells the end of the planet as we know it. Continue reading ‘An Improper Sense of Awe’
I spent a lot of the day in back picking weeds. Nothing beats having enough free time to sit in the warm sun picking weeds while it is still nothing. Now and then the ducks would come close by, root around a bit looking for a tasty crawler, chatter away and then move on. It got me to wondering…
A ducks quacking is its vocal expression of emotion. Having been around them for years, I can pick out their moods: happy, excited, content, nosy, curious, afraid, hungry, anxious, kinship (they are Indian Runners, an extremely social breed).
I know there is an arrogant self involved segment of humanity that could never countenance such ‘humanizing’ of mere birds. Of course, they wouldn’t be reading this site anyway, so I won’t need to justify my view… at least so far. But wait, there’s more… Continue reading ‘Thoughts and Ducks Quacking’
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The poetry of it all
Norm, a recent visitor to this site says,
“I once saw a website which had the Chinese version of the Tao Te Ching. Not just the characters, but also the ’sound’ version of the character. While I don’t understand Chinese, one could see the poetic pattern of the Chinese sounds. At least it seemed that way to me. Your readers might find it useful to see ‘that aspect’ of the work. I’m new to your site so I don’t know if any of your ‘essays’ cover that aspect.” Continue reading ‘Chapter of the Week: #71′
Which path leads where?
A few months ago a new member Dan asked me, “So, I’d like to ask, do you have any life advice for a man approaching 30″?
One problem with that question was too many things came to mind. So I turned the question over to my subconscious. Oddly, I find not thinking about tricky issues is the best way to resolve them. Of course “not thinking about” doesn’t mean disregarding. I suppose the ‘not thinking about’ phase helps the mind get through its blind spot.
Finally, up bubbled something worthy of the question. Overall, nothing feels more important to me than understanding. While stressing the importance of understanding seems obvious, it may not be as simple as it sounds. Continue reading ‘So, I’d like to ask…’
Well actually it’s “Don’t trust any elephant under 60“. This Science News’ article is about elephants, but it applies to people, and all species I’d imagine.
Our choices for what to look for in a leader runs the gamut, as this excerpt from the Science News’ article puts it:
“There is an interesting trade-off here, which certainly applies to humans and maybe elephants as well,” van Vugt says. “The group might want a young, fit and aggressive leader to defend the group — the Schwarzenegger type — but at the same time might want an older, more experienced leader — the Merkel type — to make an accurate assessment of the dangers in the situation.” Continue reading ‘Don’t trust anyone under 60′
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Imagination knows no end
In this week’s commentary I point out how our mind’s ‘ideal world’ is boundless, and how we think we can just do it. Truth be told, we are at the mercy of the fears and needs felt in our reptilian brain. A short article from in Science News, Shocked To Learn That Talk Is Cheap, backs this up nicely.
A recent Science News article hinted at something I never thought I’d live to see.
I’ve always thought that science would take longer than forever to incorporate that immeasurable and beyond reductionism side to reality that the Tao Te Ching speaks so well to.
There are signs that it may come sooner than forever. Hooray! See Out of the Fabric: Are space and time fundamental?
Of course, that won’t really change anything. After all, most folks have an even harder time with ‘taoist views’ than with scientific ones. At least with science there is something on which to hold on. Continue reading ‘In Praise Of Nothing’
I was struck recently by a comment the Pope made on suffering (see: Pope Benedict stumped by Japanese girl’s question about suffering). Briefly, a young girl asked him, “Why do children have to be so sad?” Benedict admitted: “I also have the same questions: why is it this way? Why do you have to suffer so much while others live in ease?”
This exemplifies the shaky foundation of the Christian world view. How does a believer reconcile the deep disconnect between a God that favors us (Adam and Eve, Noah, Jesus dying for our sins, etc.) and the ruthless reality of nature. Not surprisingly, Christians can’t bridge this gap, and must always fall back on ‘faith’. I imagine some of the evangelic fever seen in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic path is symptomatic of this underlying reality (i.e., Subconsciously, they doth protest too much, methinks).
Continue reading ‘It’s Simply Nature’s Way’
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