“Nothing in the world is softer or weaker than water
Yet nothing is better at overcoming the hard and strong
This is because nothing can replace it”
TTC 78 (Lin)
Oh fresh, stanky water, what a beautiful and mysterious creation we find ourselves dependent on. It is only two molecules, and yet it is essential for our very lives. It gives life and it transforms the land. It only flows where it does because of the physical nature of gravity, doing nothing but achieving incredible feats. It is incredible. It is a sage.
It gives and takes away two molecules, Hydrogen and Oxygen. Wow!
I am in awe of that wet ass, earthly breast milk, treating all of us mud pie’s like baby calves.
How can I be weak like and soft like water? I move where life is taking me. I am moving where life is taking me and doing what is in front of me. There is nothing more to it. Life is the gravity that directs us in the direction of being our most whole selves.
My life pushed me to the bedrock of my soul to wait and become clean once again until finally, I was pulled up by another and brought back to life through the service of another. That service transforms me until I am evaporated by the heat of good work being done and become once again with something greater than me. Into the atmosphere, I fly, misty-eyed and found. The culminating of all those before me mixing into a cocktail of love and life, to be poured out again onto the earth, and as we run over the land, we reshape it in the way that it requires for life to be renewed again.
We are filled constantly with the Tao; in this sense, I mean our own experiences, be they seen as good or bad; they are our infinite source while here on earth.
I give freely of my excess by being aware of life and sharing that conscious awareness of each of my experiences with those it could be of use to.
I do not have to try and reach outside myself to be of service and give in excess to those with little I only have to look within and realize my treasure is infinite and ever-growing.
So give freely; the more you give, the more you receive, and life moves like this for all of us.
I am reminded of one of my many stints in rehab. I would arrive and be either significantly overweight or well; I was always just extremely overweight and malnourished (lucky skinny addicts).
Anyway, the people at the rehab would always tell us to make sure we eat all of the meals that they provided. We needed the nutrition. They would also tell me not to worry about gaining weight that once I get on a healthy diet, my body will adjust and lose weight if necessary.
I was always surprised when I would lose weight because I would feel like I was eating way more than I did when I was drinking, but when I was drinking, I was barely moving as well, like a beached whale thirsty for seawater I would lay there and wait to die as my body bloated.
Anyway, this passage from the Tao Te Ching reminded me of this little rehab story because the excessive was reduced, and the deficient was added.
This is what the Tao is a healthy diet; I know what a lame metaphor for the source of creation, but it is what it is.
The Tao of Heaven is a well-balanced, nutritious life, if taken regularly, creates a life of fullness, health, strength, and joy that we only thought we knew.
Any way that’s all I got. Eat a balanced diet in all way, mentally, spiritually and physically.
I had a thought today (only one), and it struck me as profound to everything I have been living recently. Some background is necessary for today’s blog.
The past month here is what has happened.
Had a falling out with my dad
Spent an amazing week with my kids
Started a Graduate program
Started a new job as a Football Coach
In the last month of a Peak performance Coaching program
Working on a Teacher Certification to teach in High School
Committed to chairing meetings every week
picked up a new sponsee
It is interesting when I list it out like that in just short little blurbs; it doesn’t feel nearly as overwhelming as it actually has been.
The exciting thing is that I have not felt terribly overwhelmed as often as maybe I am putting on. It has been highly emotional, exhausting, expanding, and exciting (it has only been words that start with E). It has been a miracle as well; I am amazed that I have handled it as well, as I have to be honest.
I am not tooting my horn; by the way, I am trying to make a point about the Tao Te Ching. My point is that being flexible, yielding, and, you know, like a gelatinous goo basically, I have managed to stay sober and, in some ways, thrive and find fullness and joy in life that I had never experienced before.
I also have such an incredible support system of people that love and care about me and that I love and care about. These people help me walk through the insanity of life on days when I do not think I can make it.
Which brings me to the title of this blog.
Relativity of simultaneity: “Two events, simultaneous for one observer, may not be simultaneous for another observer if the observers are in relative motion.” (Theory of Relativity- Einstein, 1905)
In lamens terms, we do not all experience the same event(s) the same way.
Here is why it matters. When I experience a traumatic event, I am affected in a profoundly emotional way, known as suffering. Now another person could experience the same event, but because of their life experience thus far, it does not cause any trauma and, therefore, no suffering.
Example: When I was a little kid and watched Disney’s The Lady and the Tramp, I was traumatized by the scene with the siamese cats. Why? Because relative to my experience thus far in life (apparently, I had never seen a cat), those monster cats scared the living shit out of me, along with that devil song they sang.
I have since watched the same scene and did not feel the nightmarish fear that I distinctly remember having as a child.
So, what changed?
What changed was my relative position to seeing singing cats, obviously.
This relative experience tells us this. When someone experiences a deep trauma that causes them great suffering, it does not have to meet a certain standard of horribleness to be considered as a trauma.
Because suffering is a very personal experience.
However, because we all suffer, we all know suffering well. My cat scenario as a child, if put on a scale and compared with someone who had something horrible done to them as a child, could have possibly ranked as equal.
And this is all because of relativity. If we can understand this about relativity, we can all help one another through suffering.
How do we help?
Let’s go back to the Tao Te Ching, “The soft and yielding are followers of life.” (pg. 76) And, “While the soft and pliant occupy a higher place.” (pg. 76)
Being more understanding and compassionate to the truth that your suffering is equal to every other humans suffering that has ever existed, no matter how it may appear to anyone else.
When we become more compassionate and understanding (I believe this is what soft and yielding refers to), we take each other by the hand instead of facing the Hell of suffering alone; we begin to walk through it together.
If you can imagine we were born and sent down from a place of paradise to experience life and find our way back to heaven, we can begin to see that as we grow, looking at service to others is the way back.
When we wake up to the reality that the Kingdom of Heaven is already here, then we see that each one of us that has woken up has the ability to take the hand of those suffering and walk with them in love and understanding of their suffering until they can see that they have made it out of Hell and are once again in the Kingdom of Heaven.
We can all walk each other home. All we must do is understand Theoretical Physics, Einstien’s Theory of Relativity, The Tao Te Ching, The Gospels of Jesus Christ, The Teachings of the Buddha, and Our Selves.
I have a shit load of things, tasks, work, stuff to do in my life at the moment, and I am feeling the overwhelm of it all. Even writing this blog today feels like such a difficult task because I know how many things need to be accomplished and on a deadline.
Yet, the Tao reminds me to feel overwhelmed in the way that I am is because of a fixed mindset that is brittle; it says, “get everything done, in this way at this time, or we are dead.” Well, the truth is, that kind of thinking is already Death thinking.
It is too rigid in nature; there is no room for grace or humanity to come in. I feel overwhelmed because of my dry and brittle mindset. I will become soft and pliant now to become alive again. It is that simple.
I mean it is simple, but I can not say it is alway’s easy.
Loose, and yet does not let anything slip through”
TTC 73 (Lin)
How can such a paradox as this exist? That it is both- and, neither-or, yes-no, this-that, is a mind boggler if I have ever seen one. But it’s only when I try and make sense of such a thing that it is mind-boggling.
The Heavenly Tao is without any form and any meaning. It simply is. It’s hard for me to fathom anything as not having meaning or purpose yet the Tao exists in this way.
I will compare it to a work of art. The artist may not have had any idea why the painting needed to be painted, only that they felt like painting it, and not until it was taking form did purpose arise, but not from the image. The purpose arose from the already formed thing that was the painter.
The Tao is said to be the formless, is it a wide net? Yes. Is it loose but catches everything? Yes.
Is it able to accomplish anything without doing anything? Yes.
Is it the evil of the world? Yes.
Is it the good? Yes.
Is it familiar and unfamiliar? Yes.
Is it you and me? Yes.
It is the great Yes and. My improv fans will enjoy that one. The Tao does not discriminate, and because of this, it says yes to light and dark, good and bad.
It is why it seems like a paradox, but in reality, makes perfect sense. It allows all things and is all things.
This is an interesting passage from the Tao Te Ching. It is saying that to be bold, meaning having a distinct identity and holding serve, you will live. However, if you throw some daring in there, you will be killed. I take daring to mean reckless living.
It is one thing to live distinctly as yourself; it is another altogether to shove it in the faces of others. Daring can be seen as pride, flaunting knowing yourself.
We have already seen in previous chapters that the sages do not believe in taking this approach of praise for knowing oneself or holding yourself in high esteem.
This is what it means when it is said that the bold and daring will be killed.
It’s pompous that you have discovered this miracle that is you and then separates yourself from the rest of the world. It is a daring thing to separate yourself because you believe you are the best version, not just of yourself but of anyone.
So just be yourself and be content with who you are. Flaunting is a fool’s game. Or a Peacocks.
Why are we to know thy self and not glorify ourselves?
Why are we to respect ourselves and not praise ourselves?
And, what is discarding that and taking this referring to?
Three questions that will be answered on today’s episode of:
Tao, according to some guy on the internet 🌐.
Welcome to the show that everyone is talking about. Where we take the Tao Te Ching and bring out the most significant parts of it so that your life will be better and more exquisite than a latex coat on a fox.
Knowing ourselves means that we have an insight into our nature that can not be attained through the illusioned giving of outside wonders.
We are to know ourselves and not glorify ourselves as we see that others that have glorified themselves create enemies, jealousy, and greed for what they possess. Yet what we possess that makes us worthy of envy can not be stolen. It can only be hated and to be hated for what you are is to bring disgrace to the Tao. We are as we are; to vainly flaunt is a fool’s game.
In the same way, respecting ourselves, we have no need for praise from ourselves or others as we are in full awareness that what we are and have is a gift not to be praised or flaunted but to be cultivated and given freely as it was given to us.
The reference to “that and this.” That refers to something other, past, future, any external thing. This refers to the here and now. It refers to the very nature of all things at this moment. That is not real; only “This” is real. Take this moment and be fully in it.
Well, there you have it. Three questions were asked and answered of the Tao Te Ching from some guy on the internet.
I want to thank everyone for reading; I would also like to thank the internet for allowing me to say pretty much anything that comes to me and put it out for people to read.
I have cried a lot in the last two weeks. Really good crying, too, the kind that makes you feel so bad it feels good. The kind where you try to think about sad stuff some more so you can keep crying, like holding your hand under boiling water till it starts to feel cold.
Has that ever happened to you?
It happened to me, and there were many reasons why, but the main reason it happened was that I am sober, and I feel life again. I felt some shit that I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I felt it because I had hidden from it for a long time.
Well, the hiding is over, and the tears are flowing. It reminds me of why we are here in the first place in this world. To experience some good ol fashion life.
“Put the back ho in the tow truck, Bob. We got work to do.”
If you feel like there is work to do its because there is.
I limit my place, I reject my livelihood. Therefore I have been hiding.
I no longer limit that I am here and that my livelihood is here. It is all open to interpratation.
Did you know that 99% of people aged 19-42 are more likely to die in a hot air balloon, if its driven by a cat. Don’t let cat’s fly hot air balloons.
Ok there was one other thing, between here and there I met this guy. His name was Tom. Tom built parts of the space ship that was flown into the side of the Grand Canyon in the movie Independance Day.
I know some people will see this and think, “What the fault is this guy talking about? Does he know this doesn’t make any sense?”
Are there more than three sides to every coin?
The answer is popsicle Tuesdays would be better than Taco Tuesdays.
You can call the cops, but I think you would feel better if you just called your mom.
Agression, force only produce counter forces. Since we live in a physical world we are dealing with the forces of physical law constantly. I couldn’t break wind with out force, and trapped gas hurts.
So why does the Tao Te Ching talk about never doing anything, never being an agressor or a force of any kind?
Well, because according to the Lao Tzu, a fart will come out when it is ready and I do not need to force it. Well that is real convient but what about this job interview?
37 ducks playing west side story next to a banjo holster.
There is not an end
FOR
TO find any peace is to lose any chance at pizza
Beyond the grave is a ghost ship filled with dog diapers
They said I couldn’t make it to state, they were wrong
The fulfilled will alway find the perfume dangling song
Can a daughter of sixteen aunts still be in the same place as the frost kin?
I would like to challenge you to a duel, first hand me your gun.
Can cats kill cucumber carts catergorized correctly?
Tony believes in second chances, Tonya belives in love at first sight, are they the same person?
Romance lives in the heart, hearts lie with in every romance, the lies we tell to keep romance alive removes our hearts from with in, but without the lies only our lives are left with in the heart of our romantic lives.
A sentence is a terrible thing to waste.
Can you believe they only said yes to everybody?
This music makes me sad; I love this song.
Forget the championship, Ill take the goat for a walk.
Basketballs are shaped like ballons with solider edges.
ASS IS AN INTERESTING WORD, CAN YOU SPELL IT ANOTHER WAY.
Lets go to the prom, I hear they have great dance movers, I have to get this couch out of my apartment, I don’t care how they do it.
Seeking Purpose Today 