An old friend of mine, Andy, was not feeling so well a few years back. His agnostic western paradigm (outlook) failed to ease the pain of retiring from a professional life he loved and the breakup of his 40 year marriage. He was open and curious to examining a Taoist outlook, and I was curious to intimately re-examine the Western paradigm. True, I was raised a 'westerner', but that was many years and continents ago.

The following observations are the more coherent highlights of some lively back and forth between him and me over several years. Eventually he began to understand and says that having another way to see life is helping him enjoy it more.

Following these observations, I'll continue to jot down others now and then. Now, each observational 'nugget' is connected at some level to others. Still, it's a jumble, but only the tip of a stream of observations which flow through my mind. Now, this would probably drive me crazy if not for Taoism. It helps take it all with a grain of sand. To paraphrase the good book again... "he who writes does not know, he who knows does not write."

It is my view that how we see life affects how we feel about it . . . and how we feel about life affects how we see it. Being profoundly detached from mainstream culture enables me to see life differently, though not 'better or worse' mind you. I offer these observations in the hope that they can give food for thought for those who enjoying thinking.

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