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Amazon mother

This video, From Amazon To Garden State, perfectly exemplifies observations I’ve made on civilization over the last few decades. To be clear, I’m not pro or anti civilization; I simply wish to comprehend its full impact on humanity. Despite the obvious downsides of civilization, we’re never going to turn back the clock. I wouldn’t want […]

The Proof is in the Pudding

Your personal experience will be the pudding in this post, as you test out the research reported in this Science News article, The bright side of sadness. Buddha thought we needed only to rely on our personal experience to know the truth of life, including his Noble Truths. No ‘take my word for it’ hoodwinking […]

Natural Happiness

My motto for the secret to happiness, generally speaking, is to like what I do rather than do what I like. Sure, this is easier said than done. Nevertheless, recalling this motto daily helps prevent my expectations from dictating my life willy-nilly. No doubt, scripture (Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Biblical, etc.) first got me seeing life […]

Is Gen Y Unhappy?

A friend sent me an interesting article. It points out much of the same causes for unhappiness that I see, so at first I accepted it without much question. Soon, however, it began to nag at me. Something didn’t exactly mesh; there was more too it. If you’re interested, this Why Generation Y Yuppies Are […]

Can we pull the plug?

This short video essay from CBS Sunday Morning gave me more food for thought. Naturally, I need that like I need another hole in my head, but I can’t pull the plug on thinking. This piece is ostensibly about the wide use of cell phones. Scratch the surface though, and it offers insight into the […]

Who or What Do You Trust?

The ‘small “t” taoist’ within us can find it difficult to decide who to trust, especially if both the advocates and critics feel convincing. Conversely, the partisan within us seldom bats and eye before favoring one side or the other. Sincere advocacy for anything is a projection of one’s own beliefs. That sounds obvious I […]

The Only Safe Escape

The only way I’ve found to escape life without unintended consequences is to give myself to life. This is an example of chapter 78’s Straight and honest words seem inside out, or as D.C. Lau put it, straightforward words seem paradoxical. I can essentially lose myself in the moment by utter devotion to that moment […]

So, I’d like to ask…

A few months ago, a Centertao member asked me if I had any life advice for a man approaching 30. Immediately, too much came to my mind for that question! All I could do was turn the question over to my subconscious. Mysteriously, I find not thinking about tricky issues is the best way to […]

Why God?

Why God? I have not heard this question asked much… if at all (1). Debate focuses mostly on whose God is best, the nature of God, or does God even exist. Asking, “Why do we believe in God” is more of a zoological approach to this issue. That is the place to begin; after all, […]

Wandering Mind Is Unhappy Mind

This Science News article, Many unhappy returns for wandering minds, packs a big punch for its small size. It’s so short I’ll paste it below. Science News and the Tao Te Ching are my two best resources for reducing the risk of the blind spot. Together, they offer points of view from opposite ends of […]

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